The Afterlife Effect
by Coriana
Summary: The Cause: Karma never loses its way to your door. The Effect: It has finally found her, and it is going to kill her. -/- The new client has something in her past she's not aware of, because it might be not from this past. And Karma is going to make her suffer three times for it - misery, suffering, then death. -/- How do you bargain with a spirit that wants vengence?
1. Confession of Pain

Hello everyone, and thank you for looking at my new story!

This is loosely set about three years after the House of Nightmares case. It is in Mai's - first person - viewpoint.

So, please enjoy and review! And Happy Samhain!

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_Revenge is a confession of pain _

_- Seneca_

…

I was hurrying to finish up the paperwork that had been piling up for the two weeks that Taka had been on vacation with her family. I didn't want her to think that I truly needed her to keep up on the paperwork, so thus I was fully determined to complete the task before she got back. Tomorrow.

It was almost time for the office to close, and I was trying to beat the clock, otherwise Naru was probably going to lock me in here. All by myself. There was something about a paranormal office deserted at night which was about as spooky as a haunted house.

Well, I guess I don't know if it's that spooky being all alone here. I never decided that I needed to camp out here. I hope I don't have to.

I finished the last file and documented it away. I rubbed my eyes, celebrating to myself internally. Maybe I'll pick up a pint of ice cream for myself on the way home for a job well done.

Though if I had done it a little bit throughout the week, it wouldn't have been such a big deal.

I started packing my little suitcase. It was ten-minutes until closing time and I seriously doubted that anybody would be visiting. Besides, people being haunted normally show up in the morning for obvious reasons. No one likes to travel in the dark when they've seen a side of supernatural they used to not believe in.

Naru and Lin were both in their offices, but generally they left after me, which was always fine. But now, I had a little car waiting for me in the parking lot, with a heater. A long-time savings of mine that had had to wait until I could get my driver's license.

Ahh, such normal things to rejoice in sometimes.

Something caught my eye outside the window. Car lights.

My stomach began crying. I guess that ice cream would have to wait.

If they were even coming in. Maybe they weren't coming in, I told myself. Or fooled myself.

I watched the couple make their way to the door.

Yeah, they were going to come in.

"Mai, close up for the night," Naru called from his office. He must have heard the car or something.

"But Naru, someone's here."

He didn't answer, but I could feel his disapproval in me. I didn't really care much anymore. Besides, he was being very insensitive. This was a business and he was running it wrong when he locked clients out. In my opinion.

When the couple didn't come in right away, I thought maybe I was mistaken. But I was giving them exactly five more minutes to walk through that door before I locked it and said that we're closed.

Eh, I was becoming as cold and insensitive as Naru.

Sure enough though, the couple came in within the five minutes.

"Hi," I said. I hoped they ignored the fact that I was bundled up in my coat and ready to face the cold. They must not have known we were closing so soon. And also, they shot my theory of people not coming to the office in the darkened hours straight to hell. "Can I help you?"

I was just waiting for Naru to call out 'we're closed' from his office.

The couple was young, early or mid-twenties. The woman had long black hair and warm brown eyes. I now felt inferior with my shaggily cut hair and my plain face. Sigh.

"Hello," she said. "Are you the manager here?" She had a refined way of speaking. Very smooth and clear, with a way of being hushed, but could easily be heard from across the room.

"No," I said, realizing how uncultured I sounded. "He's in his office."

Using that fact to my advantage, I asked them to sit before Naru could turn them away. It's much harder to do when they're sitting.

I peeked in at Naru, and he gave me an annoyed look. I smiled back as innocently as possible. I then came back to the clients. I normally would have gone to make tea, but I didn't want to leave the clients alone on the couch.

I got out my notepad, since Lin had very subtly shifted the duty of documenting the case details onto me. And since I didn't have a computer, I had to _write_ it all down.

"May I have your names?" I asked.

"I'm Toshi Deon, and this is my husband, Eikou Deon." She laid her hand on her husband's shoulder. "We were very recently married."

He was handsome, and very lackluster. But there was something about his eyes that warned me to underestimate him, though. They were dark and quick, and I think he saw everything.

"I'm Mai Taniyama," I said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you. Now – would you mind telling me your work occupations?"

"I'm a caterer – I've studied aboard in France, Italy, England and America. I've been running my own catering business for four years now," Toshi-san said. "My husband is a well-known business-owner in the art industry."

I'd never heard of him, but then again, I didn't really study art. It felt slightly uncomfortable getting only information from her. I began to wonder if he spoke.

"Okay," I said, hurrying to write it all down. "Can you tell me when you think this ghost activity started, if it is ghost activity at all?"

"It is ghosts," Eikou-san said, startling me. "There's nothing else it could be."

"Actually, there are many different scenarios that could cause ghost-like actions –"

"Not this," he said.

"Please let us talk, Taniyama-san," Toshi-san said, with that powerful tone in her voice.

I immediately quieted down. "Uh, yes. Please continue."

She swallowed. "There is a ghost following us. We had weird things happening at our house, and they kept getting stranger and stranger. We've been in a hotel for the past two weeks now, researching groups that can help us, and then the same things were beginning to happen again. The same way it happened at our house. You might call us paranoid, but I know it's following us."

I had to stop and digest that. I hadn't really had any experience of a ghost haunting a human. So, I started back to the basics. "Can you tell me when it all started? What was the activity you were going through?"

Toshi-san took a deep breath, and evened out her speech, since her last was a bit rushed. "Everything started once we got back from our honeymoon in Spain," she said. "But they were little things. Missing electronic devices, movement of my cooking utensils, and stray paperwork. We thought we were just being forgetful and laughed at ourselves."

I couldn't quite imagine Eikou-san laughing. He looked too solemn.

Or maybe he was just too scared.

"Bigger things started to happen later, that could never be mistaken for our forgetfulness. I own a baby grand piano, and one morning, we woke up to it playing by itself."

I wrote it down. And being a good investigator, I kept my face emotionless, like I see this stuff all the time. But actually, I had yet to encounter a solo playing piano.

"My favorite spatulas and spoons would end up outside, buried in the dirt in the flowerbed. And my bowls would end up in the fountain or in the basement. We found paperwork burnt, scattered around the house when we got home from a meeting with a client, and any calls we try to make is disrupted by heavy breathing noises in the background."

She clenched her hands.

I suddenly felt a shiver playing up and down my spine, and I looked to the door, expecting someone to come in unannounced. But no one entered. It felt funny, though, like something was waiting outside the door.

Naru exited his office, shaking me from my childish notions. He sat down on the couch that I was on. When Toshi-san hesitated, he waved her on and offered her no words.

"The last week we were at our house, the stove went haywire, and the flames got massive and scorched the area around it. We would hear pounding on the doors and running sounds in the upstairs rooms. And I think it's needless to say that no one was there.

"One morning, all the piano keys went missing from my baby grand. I've seen faces outside the windows at night, and glass objects will shatter inside of the cabinets. Dishes, water glasses, knickknacks. But while some of that stuff had been spared, every single one of our wineglasses broke. And –" she paused, "we've both on occasion have heard strange chanting noises from outside, whenever the windows happen to open on their own accord."

I quickly wrote it all down, not wanting to miss anything. Lin had come out of his office and was listening at the doorway, which I thought was strange.

"We've shut down the house of its electricity, gas and water," Eikou-san said. "To keep things safer…"

I finished copying down the story, and then looked at Naru, hoping that this case would interest him. But he wasn't on the couch, and I had to wonder if he had even sat down or if I was imagining things. I looked around and saw him talking to Lin in hushed tones. He must have gotten up when I wasn't paying attention.

"And then," Toshi-san said, mostly watching the two shady people talking in whispers, "we went to the hotel, and after the two weeks, it started again…"

That reminded me of the case with Ayami-chan, when the ghost children had followed her to the hotel and tried to drag her out the window. She had been on the fifteenth floor and the only thing that had saved her and John (who had been holding onto her) was the fact that the closed window had been so well built. Strong and steady. Probably hadn't been built like that for a ghost attack, but all things matter.

If it _was_ following them, you could obviously rule out the possibility of it been a land-based spirit. I eyed the two sitting stiffly on the couch.

And I wondered, why them?

Naru folded his arms and narrowed his eyebrows, thinking hard about something. "If the spirit is indeed following you," he said, "then you have at least a few days before things take a turn for the worst."

I don't know if I really liked the fact that he was telling them to just go back to the hotel, but I really wasn't in a position to say so. I trusted Naru's judgment, and I – hoped – the ghost would give us a little time.

"We need directions," Naru said, sliding the file out of my hands and rereading it. How rude.

I got _another_ piece of paper and handed it to them for their address. She wrote it down readily, but with a steady hand.

"I would like to discuss the issue of payment," Eikou-san said.

"But I don't," Naru told him. "We'll discuss it after. I still haven't said I would take the case or not."

Toshi-san's hand faltered, but she quickly recovered.

"We'll see you tomorrow morning," Naru said softly. I could see no movement of his eyes, so he was thinking more than reading. He then gave Lin a pointed look, and his assistant came forth and handed the clients each a paper.

"These should keep you safe, or a little while, at least," he told them. "I recommend going to another hotel for the night, to confuse the spirit. Do not return to the hotel to retrieve anything, just go somewhere else."

"But, my things –" Toshi-san started, but Lin cut her off.

"Please do not take this warning lightly. You will be able to return to your hotel to gather your things, but now, I advise staying somewhere else tonight."

She nodded, and so did her husband.

"Thank you," Eikou-san said, and bowed.

They both exited.

That cold feeling in my spine went with them.

Naru watched them from the window. "Has it gone?"

I had no idea what he was talking about, and then I realized he wasn't talking to me, anyway.

"It left about mid-way through the conversation," Lin said, "I think it went to lie in wait at the house, because it believes we'll go there tomorrow."

"What?" I asked.

"The spirit." Naru laced his hands together.

My eyes widened, "There really is a spirit following them?"

"Yes, Mai."

"Holy shit," I said. No wonder Lin had come into the room to listen. He probably wasn't listening; he was most likely keeping track of the spirit. His shiki must have alerted him the moment they came.

I said, "Wait a minute, you sent them back out there even though they have something following them?"

"I wasn't going to let them camp in the office," Naru said.

"Hmph," I said. "That's awful."

"They'll be all right, Taniyama-san," Lin said.

I remembered the charms he had given them, and I felt a little better. But I also couldn't help the mixed feeling of dread that maybe the papers weren't going to work.

"How come it didn't try to come inside the office?" I asked.

"This space is too well protected by our amount of energy – also, my shiki kept it at bay."

"Mai, call Monk and John, schedule them to be there tomorrow," Naru told me, getting his coat. We were fifteen minutes past closing time.

"Yes, sir."


	2. Silence is Still Noise

_Silence is still noise _

_– Josh Billings_

...

Their home was a non-traditional Japanese house. It was actually quite modern, but it flowed with the land and possessed grace and style. It was an awe-inspiring thing that made a lonesome person like me feel pitiful. It had some whitewashed walls and some were stone, with cream-accented trimmings and a dark tiled roof, more windows than I could count at the moment, wood doors and, the finishing touch, ivy crawling up the side.

The pathways that led to the garden in back were paved with stone. The crisp, fall wind ruffled my hair and made the old trees sway.

Overall, it kind of felt like I wasn't in Japan anymore.

"Wow," Monk said, coming up behind me and draping an arm over my shoulders, "I think my whole house can fit in there. Twice."

"Well, I think mine can go into it five or six times."

"Really? I was thinking more like twenty."

"Screw you. My apartment is not _that _small."

We (Monk, Naru, Lin, John and I) were supposed to meet up with the client at nine o'clock, but Naru had us get here about fifteen minutes early to survey the area. So, Monk and I went for a little stroll down the medieval stone walkways to see the garden in the back.

The flowers were all falling out of bloom this late in fall, but I wished I could have seen it in full blossom, because it would have been breathtaking. I wondered if Toshi-san designed and planted it herself, or if they had called in a professional. Or maybe it was already here. Naru would certainly be checking on how old the house was and if it had anything strange linked to it.

There was a fountain in the middle, but there was no water flowing since the electricity had been turned off. But the basin was full of water, still. There were some arbors and benches, but one of the most stunning aspects wasn't even a part of the garden. The wall of the room that led into the garden was completely out of glass, so that the view could be fully enjoyed.

I had a feeling that it was the kitchen. Maybe it was because I could see a spot that was burnt dark. It must have been where the stove was.

Monk was mostly quiet by my side as we both admired the view. Then he had to ruin the calm by saying, "So…feel anything strange?"

Eh, what? What was he talking about? I had to make my mind trudge its way through the dozing tranquil in my head. We were on a case. I can't believe that we were here on a mission and I _forgot_. I was so lost in the misty, soothing sounds of the breeze shuddering through the trees.

That suddenly scared me, like an electric shock to my spine. It shouldn't be so nice. It felt like I was being messed with.

I grabbed onto Monk's jacket, just in case he unexpectedly disappeared.

"Whoa? What's wrong, you seemed fine a second ago."

"I don't know. Let's go back to the others."

"I'm going to take that as a yes, you feel something weird."

I didn't answer, just held on as we headed back to the front of the house. We were just in time to see John pull a ladle out of the flowerbed.

We got back to the van, where Naru was on his laptop, presumably researching the house.

"I used to believe that you two were smart enough not to go wandering about," he told us.

"Oh, please Naru-bou," Monk said. "I thought that as far as you were concerned, the spirit was at their hotel, and they were going to bring it with them when they arrived."

"But they didn't stay at their hotel," I told him.

"Oh, yeah…"

"I thought you said that it would wait at the house for us?" I said to Lin.

Naru looked over at Lin, who shrugged, "It doesn't feel like there's something here."

"I think there's something here," I said in a voice so small, that no one heard me. Not even Monk, who I was standing right next to.

The sound of a car disrupted our conversation. The Deons' convertible pulled up alongside our van. Toshi-san was wearing a long, flowing skirt and a white blouse with a dark jacket. Her hair was pulled up in a pretty, messy ponytail. She smiled at us with relief, like she was afraid that we wouldn't have shown up.

Eikou-san didn't smile, or look relieved, or depressed. He just stared at the house and didn't pay us any mind.

"Oh, thank you," Toshi-san said, taking the ladle from John. "Would you like to come in? Or are you investigating from outside?"

"We will go in," Naru told her, "but first, I'd like to ask you a few things about the house."

She nodded, putting a steely look on her face, ready for anything.

"Would you happen to know when it was built?"

"Oh, only a few years ago. I actually happen to know the architect, if you would like a number. It was built to look rustic and worn."

Naru didn't do anything, or ask anything else, and Toshi-san began to look uncomfortable.

Monk gave her an easy smile and said, "Hey, don't worry. I think it's in his job description to be moody and reserved. But don't worry; normally the job gets done." He smiled at her again.

Eikou-san was now watching Monk, as if sizing him up just in case he needed to strangle him if he hit on his wife again. It almost made me giggle, but I held it in.

"Deon-san," Naru said, addressing Toshi-san. "We're not quite sure of the location of the spirit as of right now, but we intend to lure it and keep it here to see if we can get any digital footage or sounds."

"Do we have to stay the night?" Eikou-san asked. He was wearing a long over-coat, and looked more menacing than he had yesterday. But at the same time, he still had a meek air about him, like he was ready to do anything that Naru asked him to. Naru sometimes had that effect on people.

"No. You'll stay at the same hotel that we'll be staying at. We will certainly not be staying the night here until this spirit is gone."

The young couple nodded, looking like they'll never stay the night in their home ever again.

…

The inside of the house had dark wood flooring and a mixture of stone and wood walls. Staircases and glass doors, old cabinets and thick carpets. I could see a library in one of the rooms we walked by.

In one word, it was gorgeous.

In another word: Eerie.

The quiet was so stark that our footsteps made me shiver. A thin coat of dust covered everything. I would have originally said that it was because they hadn't been here for two weeks, and the windows were open (making the entire house chilly). But truly, there was too much dust here to have accumulated over the two week span.

Eh, I might have believed it if the dust wasn't _inside_ the cabinets as well.

It was so quiet, that the silence pounded in my ears.

We passed the living room, where the baby grand piano was, missing all of its keys. A piano without its keys looks forlorn and helpless.

Toshi-san led us into the kitchen, presumably because it was where everything was the worst. Things were pulled out of the cabinets and the whole section around the stove had yet to be treated. You could see the whole garden through the glass wall.

"Mai, John, take a camera and mic upstairs and set it up in the master bedroom," Naru told us. I watched as he moved through the room, skimming his fingers over tabletops and the stove. His usual duty. "Monk, set up a camera and mic in here and the living room."

"Yes, sir," Monk said, saluting and walking off with the equipment for the living room.

John grabbed the camera and I got the lighter microphone. Ha.

John went first up the magnificently carved stairwell. It felt cool, like I had been transported in time, and I enjoyed every step.

So did the person walking up behind me.

I spun to look, but nothing was there. The footsteps ceased as soon as mine had.

"Is something wrong, Mai?" John asked, noticing me halt.

"I… thought I heard something."

John stared behind me intently, but nothing moved.

To experiment, I took another step, but nothing happened.

I swallowed. It still felt like I was being messed with.

"Come on," John said, letting me go in front of him. We walked up the rest of the stairs, but I could swear that I still heard an extra pair of footsteps.

"Okay," I said, "Toshi-san said it was the third room to the right of the stairs…" Once I got up at the stairs, I saw all the doors were open. I took a right and counted doors, and noticed that the third one was the only one that was shut. And locked.

Oh, just great.

"Maybe the wood is swollen…?" I said hopefully, shoving on the door a little more forcefully.

"I doubt it," said John, setting the camera down and motioning me aside. He pulled his bottle of holy water out from the back pocket of his jeans (didn't seem very ceremonial) and, wetting his fingers, drew a cross on the door.

I waited as I heard him saying a prayer.

A cold gust of wind blew through one of the open windows behind me and suddenly all the other doors slammed shut, nearly turning me into a ghost, too.

But the door to the master bedroom opened smoothly, without John even turning the handle.

"I'm not going in there," I told him. Because that was way too possibly walking into a trap.

John seemed to be thinking the same thing. So, we decided to set up the camera and mic outside of the room.

Then I felt guilty, because Naru would say 'idiot, and what if the door shuts again, and we don't get any footage or sound?'

Ah! Dammit Naru, why do you always have to be right, even when you're not here?

I voiced as much to John, who sighed. "Just don't be scared, Mai, it'll feed off of that."

Says the guys who hadn't wanted to go in there, either.

We grabbed the supplies and walked into the room. I was terrified that the door was going to shut and lock behind us and we were going to die in here and—

"Mai, the faster we accomplish this, the sooner we can leave?" John kindly reminded me, since I was standing there staring wide-eyed around the prettily decorated room, while holding the microphone in a death grip to my chest.

We reset up the equipment, and tried to walk out of the room, but we hurried a little in the end, like the feeling you get when you're sure that something is behind you and about to grab you.

We walked back down the stairs, where Monk was waiting at the bottom. "Hey, there you guys are. What were you doing, break-dancing up there?"

"Huh?" I said. I hadn't heard anything but the slamming doors.

"We heard running and movement up there. You guys didn't hear it?"

"No, I don't think so," John said, looking at me.

Monk ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, now. Naru called in Masako and Ayako, so we'll be able to see how Masako evaluates the place."

"What about Yasuhara?" I said.

"Hm. I don't know. He didn't call him, and I don't know if he needs any researching done."

Hmph. Maybe I'd call him in just so I didn't have to be the only lowly investigator who just half-knew what she was doing. I was certainly better than I used to be, but I never completely seem to measure up to the years of experience from everyone else.

"Are you guys done loitering?" Naru said, coming out of nowhere and scaring all three of us.

"Eh, Naru, what are we going to do now?" I asked. It had slipped my mind to tell him about the slamming doors.

"We're going to the hotel and wait for Hara-san's opinion," he said, walking away.

"Already?" I said. "But we just got here."

Monk shrugged. "We set up some cameras down here, so we'll see what we get later, or tomorrow."

I followed them out of the house. Feeling like something was watching my back.

Lin met us at the doorway, "I'll be staying here for a few moments more. Here are the card keys for the hotel, and directions." He handed them to Monk, since Monk was the only other one that had brought a car. "The Deons will follow you, since they'll be staying at the same hotel."

"Okay," Monk said, putting the keys in his pocket (probably quiet careless, actually) and reading the directions.

"Be careful, Lin-san," I said.

"Thank you, Taniyama-san," he said, walking by me into the house without a glance at me. It left me feeling like he really wasn't thankful.

Ah, doesn't matter. We have a very strict student/teacher relationship.

I got into the backseat of Monk's car with John. Naru was already in the front passenger seat, with his arms folded and his face molded into a strict thinking mode.

Toshi-san and Eikou-san followed us down their long, cobblestone driveway. They lived about ten minutes from town.

I wonder what Lin was going to do at the house. Maybe he was going to try to speak to it? Seems awfully risky with no one else there. I wondered why Naru didn't stay.

I leaned against the glass of the car's window, feeling sleepy. Maybe I would catch a nap at the hotel before we came back here with Masako, assuming that she was coming today.

I wondered what she would find.

If she found anything at all.


	3. Truth in Masquerade

_And, after all, what is a lie? It is but the truth in masquerade_

_– Lord Byron_

…

I remember the day like it was yesterday, because it was burned with fire into my head. The searing pain from the wound in my mind still made me weep tears. It hurt. It still hurts.

I was just a flower girl. I was collecting daffodils from my secret field when I met you. You were a tall and darkly handsome man, and with my girlishness, what was I supposed to do to oppose you? I followed you. And my life ended there.

But you didn't end my life.

She ended my life, and for that, I'll never forgive her.

…

I opened my eyes, feeling dazed. The dream was already slipping from my fingers. I could just remember everything was grey, besides the flowers, which had been showcased in a sick, yellow color.

I remember the man, and I remember following him. I don't remember what happened after that.

Rolling over, I effectively managed to roll right off of the bed and onto the floor with a thud, still wrapped in the covers. I groaned from the impact.

"Mai?" a voice said, nearly sending me to the roof with my hair standing on end and hissing like a cat.

But it was only Masako, wearing jeans and a pretty blouse with embroidery. She was sitting on the second bed with a journal on her lap.

"I'm awake. What did I miss, are we leaving? Did we leave? Did I miss it?" I said, trying to gather all my loose thoughts. Damn, that dream left me more unfocused than I thought.

Or maybe it was just the deep pits of slumber.

I rubbed my eyes. I had gone to sleep really soon after getting to the hotel. Even though I was slightly horrified that I had to be alone until Ayako and Masako arrived. They had only secured four rooms, with the Deons in one, Monk and John in the second, and Lin and Naru in the third. Apparently Lin had decided that the girls could all sleep in one room with only two beds. Looks like I'll have to share with Masako, since obviously Ayako wasn't going to share with anyone.

"We'll be going back to the house in half-an-hour, so you better tidy yourself up," she told me, smiling. "You look like the bog monster with that hair of yours."

"Well, thanks," I said, smooshing it back down. I wasn't quite as perfectly poised as she was when she got up. Her hair didn't even snag. It was silky and perfect, and even after all this time; I still wanted to punch her.

I hurried into the bathroom and rearranged my wrinkled clothing, I debated changing, but I was going to be wearing a coat anyway. I combed my hair and tried to rinse the sleep out of my eyes. When I came back out, I looked much better than when I had gone in. Masako was still on the bed, but her journal was sitting beside her on the bed, now.

"You look nervous," I said, since I had known her long enough to know that when she looked so utterly calm on the outside, she was a live-wire of jumpy energy inside.

"Hm? No, I'm fine," she said.

I stuck my tongue out at her, and she mimicked the action, making us both look like silly children in a dispute.

"What are you afraid of?" I said, putting my coat on, since I figured we would be leaving anytime.

Masako clenched her fists. "That I won't be of any help. You guys have said that this spirit is so fleeting that I don't know if I'll be able to add anything to the investigation."

"Oh, please," I said, "besides, Naru said on the car ride here that there might be more than one spirit anyway." I looked at my watch. It was twelve-thirty – I had slept for two hours.

Gah, what kind of nap is that?

"You got here really quickly," I said.

"I wasn't doing anything, anyway, and I needed to get out of the house. It's been kind of stifling ever since my television show ended."

"So you needed to enjoy some type of supernatural thrill?" I said, grinning.

She smiled back, and then someone knocked on our door. "Are you guys ready?" It was Monk.

"Yeah, we'll be there in a sec," I called back. I grabbed Masako's sleek, stylish coat. And proceeded to throw it on top of her.

"Come on," I said, "You're always a help to us, even if it's not always the way you expect to be."

…

The house was exactly the same as when we had left it. Standing alone in its surreal, majestic power.

Masako stared at the house in appreciation. "Did my mom design this house?" she said, with a tone that said she honestly couldn't remember.

Her mother was an architect, mostly for these types of graceful mansions. I actually wouldn't be surprised if she had been.

The Deons had not come with us – by request of Naru – so we couldn't ask them who their designer was.

Naru came up beside us, holding the keys to the house. "Hara-san, I would like you to have a look over the kitchen first. But since we're here, do you feel anything from the property?"

Masako watched the swaying trees and the house in moments of quizzical wonder. "I feel… a type of false peace here. Like a lure, asking you to come until you're at ease, and then taking you by surprise…?" She looked at me, "What do you think?"

"He didn't ask me," I said, so I kept my opinion.

Naru didn't say anything, but suddenly started towards the house, Masako and I followed automatically, since we still kind of did that when it came to Naru – old habits, I guess.

He opened the intricate wood door, which had a brass knob. Inside, the house also looked the same. Nothing waiting to jump out and try to eat us.

Not yet, anyway.

Naru and I were quiet as Masako looked around and grazed her fingers against things. Looking at the piano and finally coming to the kitchen.

I felt bad for her; because I knew that she was stalling. She might feel something a little bit funny, but we all felt that. She couldn't communicate with the spirit and she was hesitant to tell Naru.

Ah, best friends, they're awful when they can read you so well.

I snuck a glance at Naru, since we was standing next to me. He was wearing a dark green shirt and blue jeans. I liked it when he wore blue shirts, though, because it accentuated his eyes. He had on a black overcoat, which was probably a leftover from his mourning closet. His hair had gotten a little longer and it curled around his ears and the base of his neck.

Hey, I claim that I have gotten over him, but that doesn't mean that I can't look at him, right?

Masako turned around, and I could see the faint flush in her pale cheeks. "I can't feel any spirit, only a strange, greasy substance lying over the house like a film. But it's menacing, and it certainly means harm."

Naru sighed, and I could tell that he was irritated. These were the times that I knew he wished that Gene was by his side – a true medium.

"Fine," Naru said, looking around the kitchen again. He put his chin into his hand. Thinking. I didn't realize that you could look so good while you were thinking.

Oh, god, what's wrong with me? I forcefully made myself turn the other way from Naru, to look outside the amazing glass wall. I'm glad I did (or maybe I'm not) because I wouldn't have seen the person standing outside the glass.

It was black, from head to toe, a mass of negative energy, sucking in the light around it like a black hole. Its hand was lying on the glass, its fingers splayed as it watched us.

"Ah!" I shouted, pointing to the window. Masako spun around and Naru looked up, and I was sure that they caught the last wisps of its figure before it completely dissipated.

"What?" Masako said.

"Where?" Naru said at the same time.

I let my arm drop. Really, had they not seen it? I was quite sure that they would have caught the last bits of it. I folded my arms. "There was a person there, watching us."

Naru gave a pointed look at Masako, I guess just to make her feel worse. "So there is a spirit here…" he mumbled, more to himself than to us.

He turned around and started back outside the house, and Masako and I followed him. More so because we didn't want to be alone in here than because of our habit.

"Lin," Naru called out as soon as we were outside, "Is there any footage or sound?"

Lin was sitting outside of the van, with his laptop and headphones on. We had left the TVs and sound system inside the van. It was certainly more cramped than normal, but it was needless to say that Naru was not moving anything into this house.

"Just some static, and sometimes there are jolts to the screen, but nothing significant." Lin looked up, "Is something wrong?"

"Mai saw something humanoid in the window. I thought you said that your shiki didn't feel anything else here."

Naru sounded so caustic when he spoke sometimes. So very accusing.

Lin pursed his lips. "They were not alerted to anything like what had been at the door of the Shibuya Psychic Research office."

"Then there must be low-level spirits about, right?" I asked, looking at Masako.

Naru sighed. "But I have a feeling that Hara-san would have felt more definitions to the spirits if there were more of them. They would not be able to cloak themselves like this thing does."

"Then maybe… it's not here?" Monk said, scaring me half to death. That seems to have been happening a lot, lately. It's a wonder I'm not dead since I've been scared half-to-death twice.

"Where have you guys been?" I asked Monk and John, who were behind me.

"Upstairs. Making sure the equipment wasn't in danger of falling since you and John obviously were hurrying. Sissies," he said, grinning at us.

I sighed. All Naru had said when I told him about the slamming doors was that if John and I had set the cameras up faster, we might have been able to get a temperature reading or the shape of a ghostly figure.

Naru was so considerate like that.

"If it's not here, then it should be at the hotel that the Deons' had been occupying when the events started to occur again," Naru said.

I felt bad for Toshi-san and Eikou-san. They've been in three different hotels the last three days.

"But wouldn't it have realized that they were coming back by now?" John said.

"And I saw something outside," I reminded him.

"So if it's waiting at the hotel, for them to come back, then we've set up at the wrong place, right?" Monk said, sighing.

Naru gave him an annoyed look. "Then I guess you should go and set up at the hotel."

"I didn't say that _I_ wanted to do it…"

Lin jerked off the headphones, which was so suddenly and surprising, that I jumped. I wonder what he heard…?

"Naru, something is happening at the hotel."

"Which one?"

"The one that they're currently at."

The two were up and closing the doors of the van, unhooking cords and pushing in systems and TVs firmly.

"Come on," Naru snapped at us, and we jumped to life and ran to Monk's car.

We were on the road and heading as fast as we could back to the hotel.

Masako was in the front seat with Monk, and I was in the back with John.

"What do you think is wrong?" I asked. I was worried. If it really was the spirit, then it had found them quicker than it had when they had been staying at the other hotel for two weeks. "How did Lin know something was wrong?"

"He probably had left a few shiki there," John said.

I leaned back into my seat, but I was nervous and I kept fidgeting. Something felt wrong, and it continued to settle into my gut until it was a thick mass lying heavily in my stomach.

I didn't realize how long the car ride until I couldn't wait to get to the hotel. "Why couldn't you see the spirit in the window, Masako? You and Naru turned around fast enough."

"I can't see spirits quite as clearly as some mediums can. In fact, I mostly sense and feel their forms than see them." She looked down at her hands in her lap. "You have more of a clairvoyant skill than I do."

"Eh," I said, "I am at least able to see things, and I maybe have a little personal self-knowing on the side. I had to have _something_. "

"That doesn't wrap all into the clairvoyant," Monk said.

"Hm? I thought clairvoyant was just another word for ESP?"

"It is, in a way, the sub-categories of extra-sensory perception. And even though just saying ESP or psychic normally encompasses the categories, they still are their own stand-alone. There are actually five most known categories, relating to the five senses – seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling and tasting. And there's another one to add, which is 'knowing' things. Clairvoyance just relates to 'seeing' astral entities or spirits."

"Wow," I said, looking out the window. We were almost at the hotel. I heard a firetruck's siren somewhere behind us. "So they're not all called 'clairvoyant'?"

"No," said John beside me. "Most of them begin with 'clair' though, which is French for 'clear'. Claircognizance is the form of just knowing things you should never have known. Most mediums have this skill. Or clairalience is smelling. I'd have that happen to me sometimes. My father, who had passed away when I was young, used to smoke from a pipe. Afterwards, sometimes I could smell the scent of his pipe smoke in places where I never should have smelled such a thing, but whenever I needed his guidance to help me, he was there."

Monk added, "And clairsentience is a skill that a lot of psychometrists have. That skill stems from the third eye, and literally lets someone tune into the vibrations of another human being."

"Wah, I'm really kind of useless, aren't I?" I said, grinning.

"That's okay," Monk said, "we already knew that."

Before I could come up with a come-back, we turned onto the street that our hotel was on, and my mouth fell open. Masako covered her mouth. John said "Oh, Lord," and Monk swore deeply.

There was a floor on fire in the hotel. Thick, leaping flames. The firemen were hurrying to get it out.

It was the Deons' room.


	4. Time and Hour

_Come what come may;_

_Time and the hour run through the roughest day _

– _William Shakespeare_

_..._

Our primary concern was that they had been inside the room when the flames went up, and that it would be the abrupt end of the case. We didn't see them in the streets, among the onlookers and the distraught, evacuated people.

My room had been right by the Deons'. The boys' room had been further down the hall.

My stuff, and anything that Masako had brought in, was now torched.

Lin didn't hesitate to find a head authority to see if anybody had been trapped inside. I watched him walk away, heading closer to the building where the firemen were gathered.

Masako and I were leaning onto each other, shaking. The spirit had found them so fast this time. Were these people ever going to be able to hide from this thing?

The answer looked very bleak.

"Toshi-san!" John said, startling us all from our inner dirges. And I was relieved to see both Toshi-san and Eikou-san were alive and well. Shock plainly written on their faces. In fact, Toshi-san's legs gave out from underneath her and Eikou-san wasn't fast enough to catch her.

She stayed on the sidewalk, sobbing, her hands covering her face. Eikou-san got down on his knees next to her and held her shaking form.

"How long have you been out of your hotel room?" Naru said, moving closer and effectively looming over them, his shadow falling over them, greatly enhanced from the light of the fire at his back.

"Half-an-hour," Eikou-san said, in a voice as soft as rustling cloth. "We were going to go out for an early dinner, but then we heard the sirens and we doubled back. We didn't think there would be any harm, and –"

"Do you have your paper charms with you?" Naru asked.

Eikou-san dropped his eyes. "Yes."

Before Naru could say anything else, Lin returned. I would like to say that there was relief on his face, but Lin didn't make enough facial expression for me to assume anything.

"Where do we go now?" Monk asked. "We can't just keep hopping to different hotels – and perhaps destroying them, I might add – especially with the way that the spirit is finding them."

"Look," Masako said, pointing to the hotel, since she was the only one still watching it.

The flames in the hotel began to recede back into the Deons' room, as if someone was rewinding the tape. I wanted to say that it was the because of the firemen, but honestly, I don't think it had anything to do with the water.

Naru looked to Lin, "We need a place where we can completely cleanse and then seal it from outside energy." Naru looked around, as if he'd find the perfect building from doing so.

"Like an apartment?" I asked. I wasn't really donating my apartment for it to be possibly burned, but if Naru asked, I'd probably allow it…

"No, there's too much constant energy bombardment from neighboring people. We need someplace that we can keep clean."

"The office?" Lin said.

Naru sighed. "I believe that's the only option."

"Hello?" said someone besides Monk. He was dressed in the firemen gear, and looked worn out, but more so, frightened.

"Yes?" Lin said.

Ah, it must have been the official that Lin had talked to earlier.

"Well, you asked to alert you if we found anything strange, and this is perhaps the strangest thing I've ever seen in my career." He looked down and steeled himself with a breath. "The flames just disappeared – almost like magic, and nothing – and not even the paper – is burnt."

"Thank you," said Lin. The official nervously surveyed us, perhaps wondering what we were really doing here, and then left.

I guess I'm not really surprised nothing really burned, but I also did not want to go and retrieve my things.

"All right," said Monk, "Into the car."

…

The ride seemed much slower and longer than it really was. Some of the only sound was Toshi-san heavy breathing as she lied wrapped in Eikou-san's arms.

John had gotten to ride with Naru and Lin, somewhere within the van, and the rest of us were bundled into Monk's car. It's a good thing Ayako and Yasu were not here yet. Then it would have been way too crowded.

When we got to the office, it felt really weird to see it. Because normally we only come back to it _after_ a case.

We headed inside, and I settled the young couple on the same couch that I had when they had first come here to ask for help.

Lin, Monk, Masako and John went about cleansing the office of any residual energy. Monk told me that negative energy can get trapped in the corners of rooms or in drawers. They all went about their different ways doing it, prayer or chant, or, of course there was Lin, who mostly looked like he was just staring at the wall.

Hell, if I was the energy, I would run away from his glare, too.

Heh, I'm not really as afraid of Lin-san anymore. Besides, he's been teaching me how to tap back into my psyche to re-access my astral traveling dreams and meditation. He told me that I had most likely gone stale when Gene disappeared from my conscious because I thought I couldn't do it without him. But he's been able to help me relearn a lot of it, mostly because I could do it on my own, anyway. I'm not the strongest, but hey, I'm learning.

…Damn it. I forgot to tell Naru about the dream I had this afternoon.

Well, it's not like I've _really _had time to talk to him.

I sought him out, he was in his office, sitting in his chair and thinking.

Ahhh, Naru. The Thinker.

I told him in whispers, as to not let the Deons' hear, and I wasn't sure why I was even trying to hide it from them. I also launched right into the story, because I didn't want him to say outright 'Idiot, why didn't you mention this earlier?"

After I finished, with the mentions of the strange, violated feelings I had when I woke up, he said, "Idiot. Didn't you think to mention this earlier?"

Hmm. It was a little different from how my head had arranged it.

"Mai," he said, "I want you to talk to Deon-san. I want you to ask her if she's ever participated in anything supernatural. Rituals, Ouija boards, séances, visiting a haunted house, ect. Even if she thought it had just been for fun."

"Yes, sir, but one question, sir."

"Yes?"

"Why don't you ask her? You're much better at scaring people to make sure they tell all."

"Mai, I'm busy."

And that was that.

I sighed. "Do you feel like she's done something like that? You know, with your psychometry?"

Naru pursed his lips. "I don't know. My answer is yes, but at the same time, it feels wrong."

Yeah, whatever that was supposed to mean…

…

I started clambering around in the little kitchenette, wanting to make some tea for everybody. I felt nervous though, like the SPR office was going to catch fire at any moment and this time the flame would devour everything.

"Can I help?" a timid voice asked, but also managed to scare me half to death. It was Toshi-san, with her tear-stained face, but still beautiful, glossy brown eyes. I peaked outside the door, and could see that Eikou-san had fallen asleep on the couch. I wonder how long it's been since he's slept.

"Yes, you can help," I said. I didn't know how much she could do but boil water, but I wasn't going to turn her down.

"Thank you," she said, even though I didn't know why. Her voice was so much more scared now than that strong, stead-fast voice I had heard only yesterday night.

"Of course," I said. All the other members of the SPR were now doing a type of lockdown energy field. But actually, I think it was mostly Lin and Monk that was doing it, and Masako and John were supporting it.

Hm, I wish I could've helped in some way…

"So, my boss wants me to ask if you've ever done anything paranormal-wise. Ouija boards? A séance, maybe?"

Her hands shook on the teakettle. She turned to look at me and gave me a very hard stare. "You have to understand, I've never done anything of the sort. The paranormal has never interested me and I never even believed in ghosts until now. My friends didn't believe in it, I had no outside influence of people who did stuff like that. I was isolated."

"Well, that's going to make it hard," I said out loud, mostly on accident.

She smiled wryly, turning the pot on. "I'm sorry."

We were quiet for a few minutes, and then Toshi-san said, "So, is he your boyfriend?"

I spilled tealeaves everywhere. They make this funny little trickling sound when you drop that many of them.

"What?" I said, "No… not at all."

She laughed, lightly and softly, it was very musical. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry or assume. It must just be the way you look at him that made me believe it."

Shit, do I _still_ look at him that way?

"Ah, well, I was lovestruck once upon a time with him, but what happened is a long story… and it'll probably make very little sense."

"So you've moved on," she said.

"Yeah."

At least, I think I did.

I set the tealeaves aside and then Toshi-san and I began cleaning up the fallen leaves. "How long have you known Eikou-san?"

"Only for a few years. We got married only a couple months ago."

I smiled. They looked really happy together. And I'm sure they'd look even happier together if they weren't being haunted right now. "Yeah, I'm sure it was like thunder and lightning for you guys. Did you just instantly know?"

She gave a small smile, and crinkled her nose, "Actually, it was more like hailstorms and Hell raining fire."

That hadn't quite been the answer I had thought to hear.

She laughed again. "He was shy, and he kind of becomes a jerk when he's shy, so half the time I couldn't tell if he was complimenting me or insulting me. I catered to a few of his formal dinners, and I was quite ready to just stop accepting his calls." She smiled, like it was a fond memory.

"Wow, something certainly took a turn," I said.

"Down the cliff. He asked me to go out with him and I told him no. And then I kept getting more business calls from his own industry friends, for parties that he would be attending so I would run into him more." She shook her head. "He was… persistent.

"I finally invited him over for dinner at my place, and the conversations were awkward and short in the beginning, but we eventually started talking about things we liked and when he loosened up, it was easier to understand what he meant." She smiled at me, "He's certainly no public speaker."

"Well, Naru is just a recluse and I don't think there's any way to get to him," I said. Then I firmly told myself that I didn't want to, anyway.

"Ah, you just need to try a little harder."

"Impossible," I told her.

"I told myself the same thing three years ago."

We finished the tea, and she poured it into the cups. Even after our light-hearted conversation about lost and current loves, I could see her hands were shaking. Her mind had not wandered far from the reason as to why she was here.

But she was a proud and strong woman, and I didn't mention the fact about her shaking fingers.

And that was when something knocked on the door.


	5. Every Path

_Every path hath a puddle_

_– George Herbert_

...

I dropped the cup I was holding, and the tea splattered along with the mug.

Toshi-san grabbed onto my arm, her eyes wide with horror. I saw Eikou-san jump from the couch and the other SPR members had completely changed their tactics of chants and prayers. Except for Lin, who still looked…peaceful?

Wah?

The knock came again, rougher this time and very familiar. "Hey! You guys can't call me and then lock the door on me."

Ayako. I never thought I would be so happy to hear her voice.

I think everyone else (except Lin, and Naru, who never came out of his office) nearly fell over from relief.

Monk was the first to get to the door, but he didn't open it. "Well, you know, if we open this door, we'll completely break the barrier that we just spent an hour putting up." He grinned at the door.

"What the hell do I care? I am not camping out here in the hallway!"

Monk looked over at Lin, to get approval, and Lin said, "She won't disrupt much. I'll seal the rest of it after she comes in."

Monk unlocked the door and let Ayako and, surprisingly, Yasu in.

"Hello everyone!" Yasu said, with his cheerful grin and voice. "It's nice to see you all so jumpy."

"What are you doing here," Monk asked, "Naru-bou didn't even call you in."

"Ah, well, my own psychic senses were tingling and told me that you guys were going on some type of fun new case without me, and I had to come and join. I caught Ayako-san before she was leaving and hitched a ride."

"No, really," Monk said, narrowing his eyes in genuine question, "How did you really know…"

"I told you, my psychic senses."

"Right…"

"Please shut the door before you let anything else in," Lin said.

"Oh, sorry." Yasu closed the door and relocked it. "So," he said, turning around, "what's going on?"

"How many of you are there?" Eikou-san asked.

"Hmm, this is about it," I said. I started cleaning up tea. Again.

"Except for the other assistants," Yasu said.

Ahhh, that's right. Taka and Chiaki. We must have just missed them when we got here.

I couldn't believe it was already so late in the evening.

"Is anybody going to bother to fill us in?" Ayako said.

"Sit down and be quiet long enough for us to tell you," Monk said.

Ayako huffed. "I have been quiet! You and Yasu were the ones that have been blabbering."

Lin suddenly went into Naru's office, telling him something quietly.

Eh eh. It's funny how everyone shuts up when they all want to eavesdrop on someone.

I made another cup of tea and set everything on the tray. Toshi-san helped me put the last few cups on.

I carried them to the living room and we all sat down (excluding Naru and Lin). We all grabbed a cup of tea, but just ended up staring at it and at each other. Maybe it was because we all realized the same thing at the same time.

It was going to be very crowded when we all slept here tonight.

…

I awoke to a dull, flickering candlelight playing against my eyelids.

Lifting my head up, I took in that deep breath which is so normal when you first wake up. I was sleeping on the floor, where mostly everyone was sleeping. Naru had told us to go to bed because we would be returning to the house tomorrow, and he wanted us to be recharged for anything that might come.

In truth, I think he just wanted us to go to sleep so we would be quiet.

Hmmm. He's probably sleeping in his chair. That probably isn't good for his neck.

I sat up from my position, where I was lying in between Masako and Ayako. Toshi-san and Eikou-san had gotten the two couches. The boys were sleeping strewn throughout the rest of the floor. Except for Lin.

I got up from the floor and followed the dim, flickering light to Lin's office. It was so far away, how did it even wake me up?  
Lin was sitting at a small, fold-out table with a candle in front of him, the movement of the flame wavering softly. His eyes were closed, and he had a brass bowl full of water sitting besides the candle. There was a thin stream of wax that had slid down the side of the tall, misty white candle.

Something must have alerted him to my presence, because his eyes suddenly opened and made me jump when they focused on me.

"Is something wrong, Taniyama-san?"

"No," I said, shaking my head for good measure. "What are you doing?"

"Carromancy. It is the divination of the candle flame and the wax."

"Is it of Chinese origin?"

"No, but I haven't only studied Chinese sorcery," he said.

I got down on my knees on the opposite side of the table, since there was not a chair on this side. "How does it work?"

"There's a few different ways," he said, "One, which is the most common, is reading the symbols the melted wax creates when it comes into contact with cold water." Lin looked pointedly at the bowl by the candle. The water was clear, though. No chunks of solidified wax at the bottom. "Some also just read the look of the wax as it falls down into the bowl. Others read the flickering of the candle flame."

I thought it might be rude to point out that his eyes were closed, and that it looked like he had been sleeping. But I said as much anyway. "Your eyes were shut, how can you read the fire?"

"I was doing a different form of meditation. I was listening to the chattering of the candle."

"Hm? Come again?"

"Many things will speak to you, Taniyama-san, if you will just close your eyes and listen."

"Oh," I said. I stared at the memorizing trance of the candle. "What does it say?"

What on earth does a candle _have_ to say?

"What is it saying to you, Taniyama-san?" Lin asked.

I listened.

Or at least, I tried.

"I don't hear anything," I said.

"You are letting your own thoughts interrupt the candle's talk. Quiet your mind."

Sometimes it was weird having Lin as a teacher. I started the meditate state the Gene had taught me, and Lin had helped perfect. I slowly went into a trance, with the help of the candle's flame.

I asked what the candle had to tell me.

The candle told me that I had to search deeper than the legacy. That there was nothing on the surface, but all in the past.

I kind of fell out of my trance from puzzlement. I guess I never actually expected it to talk back to me.

I told Lin what it had said, and he looked surprised. I don't think it was really because the candle had spoken, but because I had actually heard it.

Yeah, thanks Lin-san.

"Very good, Taniyama-san," Lin said.

"Hmmm," I said. Doing trances were new to me, I mostly meditated. A whole new heightened sense of self.

It was kind of cool.

"Not the legacy, but something older," Lin repeated, musing.

"Does it mean something?" I asked.

"I do believe it might, Taniyama-san." He licked the tips of his fingers and put the candle out by placing them on the wick, snuffing the flame out and releasing the last effects of the trance.

He stood. "Please return to bed, Taniyama-san. I believe Oliver plans to leave early, to see how the spirit reacts at dawn and if his cameras made it through the night."

Oliver. It was strange to hear the name. He meant Naru. But Naru was Oliver, and so was Noll.

Hm.

I continued to call him Naru, though, because it was easier than to change my view of him and call him Oliver Davis. Naru was Naru, even if he wore different colored clothes now.

I lied back down between Ayako and Masako. Thinking about all the differences of Naru, and wondering why it had been so important for Lin to go and immediately tell Naru about my divination. I wanted to know, but I wasn't brave enough to go and ask.

That's what I fell to sleep thinking.

But it wasn't what I dreamed of.

…

Designs in the dirt. And I was in the middle of them.

My body jolted, and I stood up. Looking down at myself, I could see that I was still Mai Taniyama. Was I on an astral plain?

Everything was very… grey. Eerily quiet and stark, the world ashy-colored with hard shadows, and it was hard to breathe.

I walked a few steps from the designs. Except, they weren't there anymore. It was thick grass, covered in fine silt, making me leave footprints wherever I stepped like it was snow.

It was so quiet. No sound of a breeze, the twitter of a bird, or even the rush of my own breath or pound of my heart.

I started walking. My feet became caked in the silt, which was becoming mud as I walked, making it harder to walk as my feet put on pounds.

I noticed a building up ahead. My first thought was that it was the Deons' house, but as I neared I realized that it was an old barn. The red paint was as faded as the lackluster color around it, making the red seep away until it was as grey as the rest of the world.

When I got to the barn, it was empty, and worn. The beams were breaking and the stall doors were broken. The floorboards of the loft had a termite-eaten hole in it.

The floor of the barn was hard packed dirt.

There was a large, abnormal circular shadow in the middle of the barn. As I got closer, my body started to shake.

I watched as a figure rose out of the pit, its form solidifying just enough to find the outlines. The black mass smiled at me.

We stared at each other, my body too shaken to even move. But when it took a step forward out of that shadowy entrance to Hell, I turned and started to run.

Or, I tried to run. My feet were so weighed down by the mud. I looked down at my mud-laden feet and watched as the sludge turned into indistinct hands, gripping my ankles.

I saw a building up ahead, that I hadn't noticed before, and I started to run towards it. It was a little shack, and I believed that I would be safe if I could make it to the door.

I started running, my legs straining against the pull of the hands. I could feel the terror as the black figure came closer. It never said anything – there was no sound at all – but I knew it was threatening to drag me down that pit.

I didn't want to go down there.

I got to the door, my hand scraping at the handle. But I couldn't grab it, it passed through my fingers and I started to scream.

But there was no noise. No, there was no noise here, everything was silent.

I could see a face through the small window of the shack, but she just looked at me, offering no help or care.

I screamed for her. But nothing came out.

She smiled and waved as the thing grabbed my shoulder.

…

"Mai!" someone shouted.

I opened my eyes. And promptly fell to my knees.

Monk was standing beside me, holding my hand, which I was holding in a claw-like position. We were by the office door, and I was on the wrong side.

Well, no, I wasn't outside the office, I was just on the wrong side of the door. Like, I was by the hinges instead of the door handle.

I could tell I was trying to grab the handle of the door. No wonder I couldn't grab the handle in my dream.

Mirror worlds.

"Are you okay?" Monk asked. Ayako and Masako got closer to me. Masako with a blanket and Ayako with her caring hands.

I nodded, but I couldn't speak. I was afraid there would be no sound.

Toshi-san was crying, but I had a feeling it was involuntary, like she started after my probable outburst and she was just overwhelmed. Eikou-san was looking at me like I was the devil incarnated.

Naru was at his office door. Watching me.

"What happened," I choked out, once I was sure I could speak.

"You had been making strange noises, and then you got up and suddenly started shrieking, trying to get out the door."

I started crying, since I was feeling as overwhelmed as Toshi-san.

I fell into Monk's arms and stayed there as I sobbed.

"Mai, you can tell me what happened tomorrow," Naru said. A tad considerate, maybe.

I nodded into Monk's chest.

They led me to the couch. I stared wide-eyed at the door. I thought they had put a barrier up, how did something get in to do that to me?

But I guess the real question was, is it inside and I was subconsciously trying to run away from it in my dream?

Or was it outside and trying to make us come to it?


	6. Breathes Out

'_Tis now the very witching time of night_

_When churchyards yawn, and Hell itself breathes out_

– _William Shakespeare_

…

"Mai, I need to talk to you," Naru said.

Yeah, just send the ultimate cheap thrill careening through my heart.

It was early dawn when we arrived here, which made the house look even more mystical and dangerous in the mist and cold wind. Everyone had been groggy on the car ride, but the biting air had helped clear everyone's head.

"Yes, Naru?" I said sweetly.

"I would like to discuss your dream now."

Monk, John and Yasu had gone to check on all of the cameras inside, and Eikou-san went with them at the last minute.

Ayako, Masako and Toshi-san were clustered around the van, close to Lin as he reviewed any retrieved data. They were talking together softly.

I understand why they were so quiet. You instinctively didn't want to speak too loud, because of a strange fear that you would disrupt the silence and awake whatever is sleeping.

"Okay," I said, a bit deflated by the thought of having to retell it.

I told him everything, trying to remember every little detail that could help in this case. Since it was such a vivid dream, it wasn't hard at all to recall.

Probably because it really wasn't a dream. My legs were so sore, like I had been running for miles.

When I finished, Naru just kind of stared out into nothingness.

"Can you tell me what you're thinking?" I asked.

"Why?"

"Because, you know something, or have an inkling of something, and you're not telling us. You and Lin are keeping secrets."

Naru's eyes held a challenge. "Why do you think so?"

Ha! I was just waiting for him to ask that.

"Because," I said, "You singled out Toshi-san yesterday. You didn't tell me to ask both of the Deons' if they've had any dealings with the paranormal in their past, you just said to ask only her."

Naru gave me a shadow of a smile, and I felt proud of myself.

Yep, yep. Notice my awesome observatory skills.

I tried to ignore the fact that the smile probably meant he was laughing at me.

"Anything else?" he said.

"Uh." Damn. "Lin said that the divination I did yesterday was helpful, so you guys obviously had opinions already...?"

"Not quite an observation, more like sheer curiosity."

Eh, I tried.

"Yeah, but why was it important?" I said, "What are you guys thinking?"

"Honestly, I'm not too sure; it's too bizarre to completely believe."

I growled and folded my arms. "Bizarre? Nothing is bizarre to me anymore."

"There's always something more bizarre than what we know."

"Can you tell me anything?"

"Not right now, but soon," he said. He had a contemplating look of his face. "I'm going to have to have to contact Madoka."

"…Why? Does she need to come here for something?"

"No, I need her to contact someone else in the real SPR."

"Who?" It was like going through a big line, contacting someone through another. It was weird, but I guess it would only make sense that Naru would know other people in the SPR.

"I just don't know if they'll get out here in time."

Naru! You aren't being fair! You're deliberately taunting me!

And with that, Naru walked away to the van.

Sometimes, Naru, I hate you.

…

"What are you talking about?" I said, popping up by the female members of the group, huddled together from the cold.

"You," Masako said, a wicked gleam in her eye.

"About how perfect I am?"

Toshi-san laughed. "We were talking about ways Matsuzaki-san and I prepare food."

"You can learn a lot from a girl that has studied practically everywhere and everything," Ayako said.

"You guys have to come over after all of this is done. I'll cook and bake – any culture you want."

"That'll be awesome!" I said.

But I couldn't help wondering when the case would come to a close.

I sighed, since I had managed to successfully depress myself.

"Deon-san," Naru said, coming up behind Masako, and making her jump.

"Yes?" she said. She was very professional and curt around Naru, wanting to be of any service at all to help him solve the problem.

"Has Eikou-san ever participated in anything paranormal?"

She looked solemn. "No," she said. "In fact, he doesn't believe in the supernatural – well, until now, anyways…"

"Thank you." He gave me a pointed look, as if he was trying to prove something.

Humph. I still know that he thinks it is Toshi-san.

"Naru," Lin said, his headphones were around his neck and he was holding out a phone. "Here."

Naru went around the girl-group and took the phone from him. And started speaking English into the receiver quietly.

Why must he always speak English? Why!

John, Yasu, Monk and Eikou-san came out of the house. They all looked really… uncomfortable. I guess it's hard to get along with Eikou-san.

"Who's Naru talking to?" Monk asked as soon as they got to the group. He put his elbow on top of my head, since I apparently made an effective armrest.

"Do you think Naru would actually tell us?" Ayako said.

"What's he saying, John?" Monk gave John a grin, since everyone knew John would never translate.

John sighed and shook his head, "Really, Takigawa, you should learn how to control your curiosity."

"No, it's just called being nosy," Yasu said.

Naru dropped the phone from his ear and said something to Lin. In English.

Lin responded. In English.

I was really going to need to start working on my freaking English.

Naru turned around to look at us, his phone back to his ear. "Don't you people have something to be doing?"

"Like, what?" Monk said. "Nothing is going on in there. Are you sure the spirit is even here?" He directed the last question at Lin.

"Yes," Lin said, typing something down.

"Fine," Monk said. "Come on, John; let's go see if we can exorcise something."

"Can I come too?" Yasu asked.

"And do what? Watch?"

"I'd rather watch than participate."

I heard Eikou-san whisper into his wife's ear, behind me, "Do they take any of this seriously?"

I tried to make it seem like I hadn't heard, but what I really wanted to do was turn around and snap at him.

No, Mai, you're more mature than that.

Masako grabbed my arm, so hard that it hurt and I jumped from the sudden contact.

"What?" I said, keeping my voice down.

The two of us had started following the males, leaving the Deons by the van with Naru and Lin, and Ayako following close to the guys.

"Who is Naru talking to, did he tell you?"

Well, there might still be a jealousy thing going on between us.

"No," I said, "He just said that he needed to contact someone in the SPR. The real one."

"Who?"

"I have no idea."

"I feel so lost on this case," she said, "but Naru seems to know exactly what he's doing, like always."

"He told me that what he was thinking was bizarre."

"How much more bizarre can it be than any of our other cases?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Hopefully he'll tell us soon. Even after all these years, he's still secretive."

Masako sighed. "Yes. Naru doesn't like to spout off ideas unless he's sure that they're accurate."

"That's Naru."

"And it always will be."

We had wandered into the backyard garden. I didn't know where Ayako and the boys had gone; maybe they were circling around the house. I walked up to the fountain, staring at my garbled reflection in the water. Up close, this fountain was really quite big. The water was really deep.

"Do you feel the spirit?" I asked.

Masako shrugged her shoulders. "It feels the same – a grey film that covers the land. There's nothing really different." Masako sat on the wide rim of the fountain. "Maybe the spirit isn't as malicious as we think."

"It set their room on fire, remember?" I decided not to mention the fact about it locking me into the dream last night, as well.

"Oh, yeah…" Masako said, "Honestly, though. It feels so much more sad and lost compared to evil. But then again, spirits do have a way of hiding their real identity. It does a very good job with that, by moving around or not showing any data on the microphones or cameras."

I heard footsteps and I turned around to see Toshi-san. She smiled and sat down on the rim opposite of me, skimming her fingers over the water. "The tub never got drained," she said, with a broken laugh. "I wish you two could see the garden in full bloom."

"I wish so, too," I said. It would be miraculous looking.

"Maybe we can visit in the summer," Masako said.

"Yeah," Toshi-san dipped her fingers farther into the cold water. "If we still live here, by then."

There was a splash, and I felt the air go cold. That's when Toshi-san's arm was suddenly yanked into the water. I didn't have time to react before she was pulled completely into the deep basin.

I screamed and then plunged my hands in, grabbing her shoulders while Masako nearly jumped in to grab her. We jerked her up far enough for her to gasp in a breath before the rapid, mad waters knocked her back under.

It was like the fountain had a life of its own – after all, the water pump was turned off.

I heard the other members of our group running, and then suddenly Monk was beside me, half submerging himself to grab her around the waist and completely hoist her up and out of the water.

Masako and I both fell back onto the cobblestone pathway. Eikou-san was there in a second to grab his wife and pull her into his arms. All three of us were soaked, but Toshi-san was shaking badly.

"Come on," Eikou-san said, carrying her to the house. He looked back at us and said, "You can change inside, too."

"Eh, swimming in the winter isn't something I indulge in often," Monk said. His leather jacket had gone for a dunk, too.

I had begun to shake. My whole front was soaked and so were my arms. Masako looked the same, or maybe a little worse. John draped his coat around my shoulders, and Yasu did the same for Masako.

"I don't get a coat," Monk said.

"Ask Ayako," Yasu told him.

"It'll be too small for you," she said.

Once we got to the front of the house, Naru gave Monk a sour look. "What had I just told you?"

"To watch Toshi-san. Which I had _just _been going to do."

Naru followed us inside, letting Masako and I tell the story as Eikou-san brought down large, fluffy towels for us. Naru had bid it unwise to use their bedroom as a changing area, due to the way the doors had acted the previous time we had been here.

So, Toshi-san stayed cold and wet, which I was sure wasn't good for her at all.

Leave Naru to be so inconsiderate.

Eikou-san put two towels around her. I clenched mine around me thankfully.

"Why haven't you taken care of this?" Eikou-san said to Naru, making Naru give him an icy glance. "Isn't this what you should be preventing?"

"In time," Naru told him. He turned away, his normal reaction to impatient people.

Eikou-san swore and stormed off into the kitchen, striding right to the wall of windows, and glaring at the fountain that had almost drowned his wife.

"What is it that you want?" he shouted, so sudden that he made me jump. It rang across the wall of windows and left us all stunned. "Just leave us alone or actually show yourself. Are you so scared?"

"Shut him up!" Naru told Monk, who looked unsure if he was supposed to tackle him to the ground or what.

He didn't have time to decide, though.

The only warning we had was the deep, aching groan of the glass, before the wall of windows shattered and rained down onto Eikou-san.


	7. Fire and Craft

_Fight fire with fire, and craft with craft_

_– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_

…

Red-colored shards covered the floor like broken stained glass.

Eikou-san had fallen to the floor.

"Call the medics – keep her over here," Naru said, looking at John and then me. I held onto Toshi-san hard, even though she tried to break my grip to run to her husband.

"Let me go!"

John picked up the phone, only to remember that the power source had been shut off. So he took off running down the hall, only to collide with Lin-san half-way.

"Get her out of here." Naru pointed to Toshi-san, and Lin-san practically picked her up and dragged her out. She continued shouting as he carried her down the hall.

"Go stay with her and keep her by the van," Naru told Monk, "and tell Lin to get back here now."

Naru raised his arm up to stop any advances towards Eikou-san, much to Ayako's horror.

"We need to stem the bleeding…!"

He gestured to the glass glittering dangerously on the floor. "What's to stop the spirit from cutting your throat if you intervene? Don't get close. We're waiting for Lin."

Lin was back quickly and went straight to Eikou-san. I was terrified the glass was going to target him, but they didn't do anything.

Yasu turned Masako away and started leading her out of the house.

"Don't look," Naru told me, but I couldn't help it.

Lin-san rolled Eikou-san to his side, and my heart skipped a beat from the mutilating cuts on his face and torn clothes. There was so much blood.

My legs were shaking so badly. I lifted my hands and covered my face, trying to hide the awful sight.

Why couldn't I hear the sirens yet?

…

"The damned idiot," Naru said.

I was sitting on the stone steps of the house, and he was standing behind me. We watched as the ambulance started back down the pathway.

Naru had sent John with Eikou-san, since he said that Eikou-san was now in as much danger as Toshi-san was. The medics had looked slightly strange about the fact that Naru wouldn't let the wife go with, but they had kept their mouths shut and concentrated on moving Eikou-san and halting the blood.

With Lin-san present, the glass hadn't even shivered on the floor while the medics had placed Eikou-san on the stretcher.

Ayako and Masako were calming Toshi-san, who was sitting on the ground by the van, with her hands covering her face and sobbing loudly.

I felt so useless.

"Challenging any embodiment that way would have left you in the same state." Naru put his chin in his hand. He looked really irritated.

Yes, because Naru didn't hold concern for stupid people.

I sighed, listening to Toshi-san's cries and feeling the oppressive silence that accompanied the household.

Monk wandered up to where Naru and I were and Yasu was close at his heels, his arms encircling himself in an attempt to comfort.

Lin was packing up the van.

"What now, Naru-bou?" Monk questioned. He was also hugging himself, but I believe it was because all he was wearing was a T-shirt, since his jacket was inside and still soaked.

Naru muttered something under his breath, and then said, "We're going back to the office. We need to calm Toshi-san down and then I need to explain to her what we are going to do next. If we play our cards right, we'll know who this spirit is tomorrow."

And how exactly he was going about doing that, I had no idea.

…

Coming back to the office, I had to release a deep sigh after I walked through that door. I instantly felt more peaceful and clear-headed.

For something like this, you needed to be.

Toshi-san had quit crying, but she wasn't anywhere near okay. Her eyes were wide and staring and she wasn't reacting properly to questions and words of comfort. Ayako had brought extra clothes, and she pulled them out to give to Toshi-san, so that she could finally get out of the clothes that had stuck to her body from freezing water.

She took the clothes without a word, and went into the bathroom to change.

Masako went to make tea, and I started following around Lin-san, watching as he carefully chanted underneath his breath with his eyes closed.

I still didn't know what spell he used to clear out the energy and seal the room. So, of course, I had to ask.

"It is a simple spell, completely based on visualization," he said in response. "The chanting is just my own addition to help me concentrate and make it stronger. All you really do is spike the energy around you, and visualize sealing the room with the energy, closing out outside forces and allowing you a space clear for magical intent. It is a version of a circle of stones."

I didn't know what that was. "So, is it something that I can do, if it's only visualization?"

"Put your hands together, Taniyama-san."

I placed my hands together.

"Now rub the palms together in a circular, steady motion."

I moved them slowly together, feeling my hands heating up and starting to tingle.

"Now, stop and pull them a little away from each other."

I did so, and I felt a little static-like jump dancing back and forth between my palms.

"What you feel right now is energy, and it's the beginning of harnessing it. By doing that, you can certainly master visualization. Practice it on your apartment, or a friend's room. Gain confidence in yourself, it's the most important part."

I felt the sensation begin to die on my hands, and I felt the urge to rub them together again to revive it.

"You can practice visualization with that technique, as well. After you incite the energy, begin by imagining a ball of energy, and practice making it bigger and smaller. But always, at the end of the session, press your hands to your stomach and return the energy back to yourself, giving it back to the universal life-force."

I dropped my hands, trying to digest everything Lin had said, since sometimes he doesn't give me that much information when he's actually teaching me things, and I didn't want to forget it.

It was my beginning encounter with pure energy magic. It was kind of enlightening.

"You can always ask Hara-san to clarify, or teach more. She practices the same energy field." He finished putting up the barrier, and then left me there and returned to his office.

Eh, that was Lin.

Masako came out with a small tray of mugs. I watched her walk into Lin's office and come back out to head to Naru's office. On the way, she gave Monk and Ayako a cup, since they were both hanging outside the door, waiting for Naru to explain to them. She went into Naru's office and then headed for me. She gave me a cup and then went to sit on the couches beside Yasu.

She left the tray on the little table that the couches encircled. There was one cup left on it. It was for Toshi-san, who was still inside the bathroom.

I sipped my hot tea, savoring the heat running down my throat and literally warming me from the inside.

The bathroom door opened, and Toshi-san walked out in jeans and an overly-big, soft, fuzzy-looking white sweater.

Ayako actually took something like that along? No, scratch that. Ms. Refined Ayako actually owns something cute and fuzzy?

Toshi-san had fresh tearstains on her face.

Naru exited his office almost as soon as she sat down and picked up her tea. He only had to glare at Monk and Ayako before they moved aside quickly. Naru sat down in the one chair that he favored the most.

Hey, don't laugh at me; you notice things about people that you've worked with for so long. He doesn't like the couch on the left because he thinks it's too squishy.

"Toshi-san," Naru said, and by his tone of voice, you knew that he was going to get straight to the point. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

Eh?

"Um," she said, with an uneasy smile and a laugh to try and shake it off. "Eikou-san and I are Christians, but… my father and mother were Buddhists, so I have a general idea what it is supposed to be. But that doesn't mean I believe it."

Naru didn't say anything.

"Why do you ask?" she said, "This can't possibly have anything to do with past lives, can it?"

"What do you think when I ask you what reincarnation is?" Naru said.

"Either the soul goes to Heaven or Hell, there is no rebirth. I don't believe it."

"When I was in your house, I got strange, heavy readings of distorted memories, that couldn't possibly be from this life."

"Why not?"

"Unless you have worn robes, made poppets and used black magic earlier in this life, which you happen to not be aware of?"

Eh? _Eh_?

Toshi-san's mouth had stopped working, and her jaw kept moving even though no sound was coming out.

"So I suspected," Naru said.

She steeled her face. "How exactly can you know something like that? It's ridiculous."

"Because I'm a very strong psychic, and it would be wrong to doubt me."

Toshi-san certainly looked like she doubted him. "I don't believe it."

I looked over at Masako and Yasu, who both looked kind of stunned. But of course they believed what Naru was saying.

No one here doubted Naru.

Well, besides Toshi-san. But she didn't know who Naru was, and it's not that I didn't blame her for being so hesitant.

I would have been, in her position.

"So what are you saying?" Toshi-san said. "That this ghost is something from…another life…and it's coming back to kill me?"

"I believe that this ghost has been trying to find you for a long time, and he finally has," Naru said.

"But why would it be trying to murder me?"

"How would I know?"

They both kind of glared at each other.

"We're going to find that out tomorrow," Naru said. "Toshi-san, I'm asking for your cooperation to get to the bottom of this. Have you ever heard of hypnotism?"

"I've heard of it, but what do you mean by it?"

"I have called on a hypnotist to help with our problem – he should be here tomorrow. By putting you into trance, he will be able to access past life memories to figure out exactly who this spirit is."

"But –" her breath caught and she had to stop and swallow. "And what if it doesn't work?"

"It's your only chance."

"And what if I say no?"

"I'd call this case to a close, because we won't be able to help you. You would need to find someone else."

"Okay," she said, tears were gathering up at her lower eyelids. "I'll do it. Whatever it takes to make it stop."


	8. Roses Have Thorns

_Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud;_

_Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun_

_And loathsome canker lies in sweetest bud._

_- William Shakespeare_

…

I wandered into Lin's office. He was writing something down in a notebook.

"Is there something the matter, Taniyama-san?"

"No, I was just wondering if you were doing your candle-thing again. Candlemancy."

"Carromancy."

"Yeah, that too…"

"No, Taniyama-san, I don't think the candles have any more to tell us."

"Okay," I said, my voice coming out soft and meek. "Has there been any word about Eikou-san?"

"Brown-san called me a little while ago. Eikou-san was taken out of intensive care, and besides the amount of stitches, the glass didn't cut any vital arteries."

"That's…wonderful," I said, "What are the chances…"

"The chances," Lin said, "Are that the spirit didn't want to kill Eikou-san, but to probably cause him pain later on to further put Toshi-san in misery."

Eh, that wasn't quite the response I had been looking for.

"That's why Naru sent John with him, right? So that he could keep Eikou-san safe…"

"Yes."

There was one more question I had to ask. "Lin-san, the hypnotism isn't going to hurt Toshi-san in any way, is it?"

"No, it probably won't."

"What do you mean 'probably'?"

"Taniyama-san, why don't you go voice your fears to Naru?"

Lin's polite way of trying to get rid of me.

"He's awake?" I said.

"I don't believe he's been sleeping."

"Oh… All right, I'll go ask him." I gave Lin a small wave of goodbye, even though I don't think he saw. I went back into the main room, stepping over and between sleeping bodies. Toshi-san was sleeping on the couch, and she had a look of pain on her face.

She was probably dreaming about the glass coming down on Eikou-san.

Hell, I couldn't sleep because watching the glass slicing him and Lin turning him over still replayed vividly in my mind.

I knocked softly on Naru's door. After a short wait, he said, "Come in."

I peeked my head in. He was sitting at his desk with a couple papers and books scattered across the usually clean desk. There was a cup of tea sitting on one side. It must have been stone cold.

Coming in, I came to stand in front of his desk. And stood there.

And stood there.

"Is something wrong?" he finally asked.

"Hm?"

"Mai."

"Well, I wanted to ask how this hypnotism was going to work, and if it was going to hurt Toshi-san in any way…"

"She'll be fine."

"Lin said that she would 'probably' be fine."

"Lin is always giving thought to if something negative were to happen. She'll be fine."

"It's not going to damage her brain or make her do crazy things?"

Naru sighed. "What he's going to do is put her under a trance – it's not going to be a type of deep trance where he can tell her to do things. She'll be aware, but she's just going to be in a different astral plane as she explains the story."

"But…that sounds scary! Besides, isn't there supposed to be like a cord that can be severed while she's in an astral plane? She could _die_."

Naru gave me a look that said he was disappointed in my intelligence drop. "What kind of stories have you been reading?"

"Hmmmm…"

"All right, here is a lesson in astral traveling. There is supposed to be a silver cord that only connects the physical and the etheric double – which is the astral body – together. It's something that can only be severed at death, when the etheric double departs and moves on to a higher realm, or, as you should know, can become a ghost. The silver cord cannot be cut by anything seeking to harm you by destroying the line, because as soon as it's touched, your body is _immediately_ sent back to the physical body. The same for if your physical body is suddenly touched or if there's a loud noise, you're sent back. It leaves no chance for anything to do damage to the cord. Do you follow?"

"Yes."

I think so…

"It is exactly what _you_ are doing when you astral travel, whether purposely or accidentally. The etheric double is our other body that leaves the physical when we're in a trance, sleeping, or when we die – and also can be invoked by deep meditation, as Gene taught you to do."

He stared at me for a minute, and then said, "Maybe next time you're astral traveling, you should try and see if you can find the cord. It should be connected to your body."

"Really? I've never noticed."

"I'm not surprised."

"Thanks," I said, rolling my eyes.

We were silent a little while, and then I said, "Is John coming tomorrow to witness the hypnotism?"

"Mai, do you think that John would _want_ to be here?"

"Ah, good point." Sometimes I forgot that John was a catholic priest. Even so, though, he seemed like a very wide-spectrum catholic priest.

"Go to bed," Naru told me.

"I don't know if I can sleep. Besides, my astral body might leave me and possibly won't come back."

It didn't look like Naru saw the humor in my joke.

"Okay," I said, "Goodnight…"

I did another dance around the sleeping bodies, and then snuggled back under my blankets besides Masako and Ayako.

I was still too nervous to go to bed. I seemed to hear the sound of shattering glass whenever I closed my eyes.

So, I started visualizing. I imagined myself in a bubble that encompassed me, and kept everything else influential out. And for the heck of it, I tinged it gold because gold seemed like a magical color.

Soon I fell asleep. Peacefully.

…

"Do you see him?" I asked.

"No, though Naru said that Madoka said that you couldn't miss him," Monk said.

Monk and I had been sent to pick up the hypnotist, whom has been referred by that name for the last few hours. I don't think Naru had cared to remember his actual name.

This really left us in a bad position. We were just standing in the middle of the reception area of the airport, staring at people meticulously as they came through the hallways.

I think we scared most of them.

"We probably missed him. Was he supposed to be young or old?" I said.

"Naru-bou didn't say. I don't think he's ever met the guy."

I grumbled, pulling my little knit cap down over my eyes and growling like a cat. A picture would have been nice. Or a name – then we could have had a little sign that had his name on it. Hm, maybe we should make a sign that said the 'SPR' on it…?

"Hello!" someone said way too cheerfully. I lifted my hat back to its proper position to see a young, blonde guy with a rambunctious smile.

I resisted the urge to turn around to see if he was waving to someone else, but my instincts said he was the hypnotist.

Oh, I can't see Naru working very well with this guy.

Hehe…

He was carrying a big backpack, wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and an unbuttoned over-shirt. He wasn't wearing a coat, and I had a feeling that he was going to be in for a nasty surprise once he walked out of those airport doors. In fact, I couldn't believe he came this far without a coat to begin with.

He extended his hand. "You're members of the SPR, aren't you?"

The guy had a flawless Japanese dialect and accent. I would never have doubted that this guy was Japanese if he was so obviously not by his hair color and facial structure…

He shook Monk's hand with unrequited fervor, and it made me have to hold in my giggles.

"Yes, we are," Monk said, disengaging his hand from the hypnotist's. "How did you know?"

The blonde guy didn't shake my hand; he just took it in his and kissed it. "My lady," he said.

Monk cleared his throat. "Excuse me."

The newcomer grinned and winked. "Come on, now, I believe such secrets shouldn't be revealed."

"I see…" Monk eyed him skeptically. "I was expecting someone older, I guess."

"Whoever said that hypnotist practitioners had to be old? I'm only twenty-eight. Same age as you."

He only further freaked Monk out.

Monk said, "Are you a mind-reader?"

"I used to be, but most minds are desolate, dark, creepy and perverted places. I gave up the practice a long time ago."

Yeah, I don't think Monk believed him.

"Well," Monk continued, "I guess I'm just trying to find out how long you've been doing this. Why did Madoka recommend you, anyway?"

He flourished his arms, "Because I am the best."

"Hmm."

"Also, they needed someone, understandably, to speak fluent Japanese." He smiled at me, "I used to be a language professor before I started studying hypnotism. I find the latter hobby quite more intriguing. Not that speaking multiple languages isn't useful – in fact I really enjoy it. Speaking so many languages is handy since I travel a lot to perform hypnotism."

"I see," Monk repeated.

"I'm Mai Taniyama," I said, grinning. I gestured to Monk, "And this is Houshou Takigawa."

The hypnotist smiled, "I'm Tobias Wystan. You can call me Toby."

…

It turns out; Toby is practically immune to the cold.

His exact words were: "Cold? What cold? The air is only in a perfect state of crisp crystallization."

Eh, so that's how it is.

He acted like a tourist through most of the car ride, asking Monk and I questions as we drove past things.

Personally, he was growing on me. Even Monk looked kind of amused now, or maybe he's more depressed because this guy, who's the same age, probably makes him feel like an old and boring man.

Once we got to the office, he swung his big backpack over his shoulder and marched up the stairs like it was his own house he was walking into. Monk and I exchanged smiles and a little bit of laughter. It truly wasn't the type of person we had been expecting.

He burst into the office ahead of us, surveying the room with a critical eye. Masako and Yasu were sitting on the couch, and Ayako was in the kitchenette making tea. Toshi-san was standing by the window next to my little desk.

Lin and Naru were in their offices, but Naru came out once the door opened. He gave Toby an unexpected look. Apparently Madoka had 'forgotten' to mention that Toby was a little… excitable.

"I'm Tobias Wystan. It is truly an honor to meet you, Professor Davis."

Naru gave Toby's hand a pointed look, and looked like he had wished he'd done research on hypnotists in the area instead of relying on Madoka.

When Naru didn't take his hand, Toby just lowered it, still smiling. "Well, Ms. Madoka did say that you were slightly difficult."

Naru folded his arms. "She didn't tell me that you would be, as well."

"I'm not difficult – why! There are so many lovely ladies present today." He busied himself kissing Ayako, Masako, and Toshi-san's hands, passing compliments and flirtatious remarks.

I couldn't help my big grin. It was funny to see Masako's blush-stained face.

Toshi-san promptly told him that she was married. Toshi-san looked quite worse for the wear compared to what she was a few days ago. Her classy dress style and make-up was gone, and she had bags underneath her eyes.

Toby tilted his head at her and smiled. "You must be Toshi-san; it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you," she said. She gave Naru a look, like: '_who the hell is this guy?_'

If it wasn't obvious, Yasu and Toby hit it off well.

"You, my friend," Toby said, "It feels like we've met before."

"Do you say that to all your acquaintances?" Yasu asked.

"Oh, no, only the ones I recognize."

"Then, it is lovely to meet back up with you." They shook hands, equally grinning a little too widely.

"Mr. Wystan," Naru said, that 'I'm annoyed' tone in his voice. "Would you please do what you came here to do, we are pressed for time."

It sounded weird for Naru to use other honorary terms, instead of the Japanese ones. Just like it was weird to hear Toby use Naru's real name.

"Please make yourselves comfortable," Lin said, gesturing to an area where there were two armchairs across from each other.

Toby put his hand up. "If Toshi-san wants to do the regression in private, then you are not allowed to be there to witness it."

Before Naru could promptly explode (in his quiet, cold, cynical way, that is), Toshi-san said, "No…no it's okay. I want them to hear."

"Okay, then!" Toby clapped his hands loudly, completely unfazed. "Would you please take a seat right over there, then…?"

He led Toshi-san to one of the armchairs, and he sat down in the other one. Besides Naru and Lin, the rest of us SPR members gathered around in the farther chairs, as not to intrude. I leaned forward and watched with a keen interest.

Toby's bag was a bit far, so he stretched to grab a notebook instead of getting up.

"Okay," he said, shifting in his seat and getting comfortable. He reached for a pen, which I guess he normally kept on his notebook, but it wasn't there.

"Hm," he said. Instead of asking for one, he stretched out his hand. "Come on, come here, boy."

I watched with an open mouth as a pen started hopping out of his bag, jumping towards him until he could grab it.

I clapped. "Do you have PK-ST, too?"

"Hmmm? Telekinesis? Oh, no." He held up the pen and then stretched out a clear, thin wire that was tied around it. "See?"

I had just been completely duped.

"I… I have a question, before we start," Toshi-san said, in her soft voice.

Toby's over-exaggerated expression of attention, I believe, scared her more than soothed her.

"Um, I just wanted to ask if…anyone has ever gotten hurt doing a regression."

"No, no, no," he said, "Of course not. None of my patients have ever been hurt. I mean, there is the one I had, where he started screaming and I couldn't snap him out of it. But he's fine, even if he is in the insane asylum."

The silence that followed was so stark, that you could have heard a ghost.

"I was joking," he said. "Really, none of my clients were ever hurt or driven mad."

Toshi-san looked like she couldn't tell if she wanted to slap him or start crying.

Naru cleared his throat. He was leaning against the wall, glaring at the back of Toby's head. "Please continue."

Even though everything was being very serious, I couldn't help thinking that I hope Naru never – ever – cuts his hair, because I liked it the way he currently had it.

"Okay, okay," Toby said. "Are you comfortable?" he asked Toshi. She nodded.

He started dramatically waving his hand back and forth in front of her face. "You are getting veeeerrrry sleeeeepppyyy…."

"Wow," I mumbled, "I didn't know that was how they actually did it…"

"It's not," Naru snapped. "Wystan, please take this seriously."

Well, the problem here was that I couldn't take Naru _seriously_, saying Toby's last name all dangerous-like. Because it sounded funny.

Toby shrugged. "Hey, I'm just trying to calm her down – she's so uptight."

Toshi-san let out a big, deep breath, and managed a smile. "I'm fine."

He smiled, "That's much better." He settled himself back into his chair. "Please close your eyes. Now, please take a few deep breaths." As she was doing so, he continued, "I'm going to link my spirit guides with your own, Toshi-san, so we can establish a heart-to-heart connection."

I watched, mystified, as Toshi-san's body relaxed, very slowly and sleepy-like.

"I'm going to ask you to look inwards to yourself, to open up your heart chakra."

Toshi-san nodded a bit. "Okay," she breathed.

"We're going to take a journey to your Akashic Record room, Toshi-san. It is a place where all the memories of our past lives reside in. We're going there to find out what kind of relationship that you have with this ghost, and why it wants to cause you harm." Toby was quiet as she nodded. "You are currently connected to your heart chakra, do you see a doorway? If you do, please describe it."

Toby's voice had a sort of drugged quality to it, and it was making me almost sleepy. Toshi-san said, "It is a metal door. It's small – with a lot of intricate etchings on it. The handle feels…so cold."

"This door is going to lead us to your Records room. Take a deep breath, Toshi-san, are you ready?"

She nodded.

"If the room doesn't look that defined, do not worry. The Records room has a way of looking misty and ever-changing to each second." Toby was jotting down things on his notebook. "Toshi-san, can you ask yourself right now, do you know in your heart, who this person is?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"I want you to ask you to bring forth yourself - from the lifetime which you and the ghost were most affected in – to come to your Records room… Please keep in mind that the person you're about to meet is indeed you, but is also you from another life. So she is her own being."

Toshi-san nodded.

"Do you see her?"

She nodded again.

"What does she look like?"

"She is thin and tall, with a very hard face. And –" Toshi-san had to stop to swallow, "–And she's wearing black robes. She's holding a dagger in one hand."

"Now, can you ask yourself, right now, who is the ghost?"

"Sh - she was one of the victims…" Toshi-san said, "She was my victim… She was used in one of our black magic rituals…" She suddenly started sobbing, "I killed her. I killed her…"

"Toshi-san, please count your breaths. Just breathe. That was then, it was another life. You are not the same person now that you were then."

It took a minute, but soon she was breathing normally again. There were tear-stains on her face. "She wants revenge for that day. For me killing her so heartlessly." A few fresh tears leaked out of her eyes.

"Toshi-san, do you know who the ghost is?"

"She was a small village girl. One of my subordinates lured her in when she was alone in a flower patch. She never had a chance…"

"Can I ask you, Toshi-san, did you have any other past life experiences with this girl?" Toby asked.

"We did meet before," she said, "In other lives. We used… to be friends. Then why did we have a lifetime like that?"

"You'd be surprised, sometimes, how things can be very planned out, from your own directions, in the beginning. Toshi-san, you obviously don't practice black magic anymore, why did you decide to stop?"

She was quiet for a minute, then said, "I started to get scared. The power was deeper than I had originally believed."

"I do see that," Toby said, "in recent lifetimes, you started to shun those arts, even though they were presented to you in every time. In fact, you had no run-in with it this lifetime. Not yet anyway."

How could Toby see that stuff?

Toshi-san swallowed again. "I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"Of having to start practicing it again."

Toby said soothingly, "There is nothing to be scared of – you will never have to do it again, if you don't want to. But this will help you to release that block of fear. Do you want to ask the woman that practiced those dark arts? Does she have anything she wants to tell you?"

"She wants… to tell me not to be cowed, because everyone is stronger than they think. But she also wants to say – respect everything, because everything has a position and a place."

"I see something in your Records room," Toby said, in a jolting tone. "It's like a mini black hole. It swallows positive energies you have for yourself, and replaces them with negative ones. It might be the reason why you could easily be turned back to that side of darkness, because you keep looking for something to fill that void of positivity. In fact," Toby went on, "I'm surprised you've denied it in so many lifetimes."

Toshi-san was crying again.

"Toshi-san, I'm asking your spirit guides – and my spirit guides – to mend that dark pit. So you can live your life fully, without hurt and regret."

I watched something peaceful overcome Toshi-san's face. She let out such a big breath, that I half-expected to see something black come out with it, to show she had released something.

"Okay, Toshi-san, we're going to end the session now," Toby said, and then said to something no one could see, "Please clear up anything we might have left unattended to in Toshi-san's Records room. Let her find peace and love in her life, for herself and for life itself. The heart-to-heart connection has been released."

Toby closed his notebook. "Toshi-san, you can open your eyes whenever you'd like."

She opened them with a flutter, teardrops on her eyelashes. There was something like a renewed vigor in her eyes that I had not noticed before.

And the session was over.

That had been… cool.


	9. Written By Fate

_Whether I came to you in love or hate_

_That I came to you was written by Fate_

_- Laurence Hope_

…

Ayako served us all tea as we gathered around the couches. I still felt adrenaline careening through my body, and I hadn't even been the one doing the regression. Toshi-san kind of looked like she was in a daze.

I wondered if I could ask Toby to do a regression on me, as to figure out why I have such a dead-beat connection to Naru.

…Oi.

"Thank you," Toby said, reasonably normal (it had been kind of strange seeing him go completely serious during the regression), to Ayako, accepting the cup of tea she offered him. She tried to hold back her girlish giggle, but failed miserably.

I think I felt Monk steaming behind me.

Naru was just drinking his tea and examining Toby's notes on the session.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, since I think I was the only one brave enough to do so (well; besides Lin, but Lin probably knew).

Naru didn't answer me, so I guessed we were screwed.

"Can't you contact the spirit?" I asked Toby.

He shook his head, "I'm not a psychic."

"I beg to differ on that," Monk said.

Toby shrugged, with a sly smile on his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"So," Masako said softly, "We're dealing with a spirit that only wants retribution. How do we go about giving her what she wants?"

"Maybe we can make a hitogata for the ghost?" I said. "You know, in the likeliness of Toshi-san."

"Knowing this ghost's intent, she'd probably be able to do harm to the hitogata. In turn, killing Toshi-san," Monk said.

"Oh, that won't work…"

"I suggest," Toby said, whether anyone wanted him to or not, "That you try to get onto the same plane as the spirit. Try to speak with her and release her from her obvious prison."

Naru gave him a dull look. "Yes, indeed – but my psychic isn't capable of such a feat."

Masako's face turned red, probably more in horror than embarrassment.

"What about you, Lin?" Ayako said, "Can't you just call up the spirit?"

"I would never be able to secure the birth and death dates of someone so insignificant who died that long ago," he said.

"Then it is not an option," Naru said, closing the notebook.

"What about her?" Toby said, gripping my shoulders and pulling me closer. For some reason, I had been subjected to sitting on the same couch as him. "See? Look how cute and capable she is."

Eh, eh…

Naru didn't look.

"Would you be able to do it if you were put into a trance?" Toby said, looking into my eyes.

"I don't know," I said. "Probably not."

"Oh, boo. I think you could."

How would you know?

Monk said, "Like what you did in the case with the school a few years ago – you cleansed them by putting yourself into a trance."

"Yes, but wouldn't this be different? The ghost wouldn't even talk to Masako. So how could I possibly communicate with it?"

"Astral traveling is a miracle tool once you get the hang of it," Toby said. Scarily supportive.

Yeah, yeah. Whatever.

I looked up from rolling my eyes to see Naru watching me. Way too contemplating. I swallowed hard.

"It might work," Naru said.

"Wait a minute – how on earth would I even be able to do such a thing?" I said. I was kind of out of breath, since I had never actually thought he'd consider it.

"We would have to put you into a trance at the house, so that you were in the ghost's territory. From there, you would need to find the ghost and be in touch with her. You've done it before; you'll be able to do it again."

Yes, but, what if she wouldn't let me go back?

No, that isn't right; Naru said that it was impossible for a spiritual entity to mess with astral travelers.

…But what about ghosts?

"I – I guess I can try," I said. When the conversation involves Naru, you might as well commit to something, to make it sound almost like your idea. Because Naru will have you do it whether you're reluctant or not, so you might as well take some credit.

My heart was hammering already, and we were still in the safe walls of the SPR office.

"Well! Glad that is decided," Toby said, making everyone (well, excluding a certain two) jump. He pulled up his sleeve to look at his watch, and made a grumbling sound. "Would anyone happen to have the proper time?"

Once he had gotten that, he dissected the time around in his head, to match the time he was used to. "I guess I should get going! I need to get home to my family."

"Wait, you're married?" Ayako said.

"Oh, yes, a wife and two adorable kids. Do you want to see them?" Before I could even think about protesting, he had taken out his wallet to show us pictures of his cute kids. "See, see?"

I couldn't help my smile. They were adorable, and he had a very pretty wife with chin-length, straight strawberry blonde hair. I was instantly jealous of her hair color.

"Is it natural?" I asked, curious.

"Mine is natural…" Ayako said.

"Oh, yes, completely," Toby said, "She's my Little Strawberry."

Eh-hem… unwanted information. Or maybe it was cute.

God, sometimes girls are so indecisive…

"Strawberry Shortcake…" he continued.

His kids had blonde hair, like him. They were really cute.

I wondered if my children would have brown or black hair.

Of course, that's insinuating that I would marry someone with black hair.

Right…

…

I sighed. "I wish you could stay longer."

"Oh, yes, me too," Toby said. "You're going to have to find a way to tell me the outcome when it is over."

The group – excluding John, since he still had to watch over Eikou-san – was heading to the Deons' house. But we had made a detour to drop Toby off at the airport.

To Naru's pleasure.

Yasu and I had walked Toby in. On the way into the airport, Toby had managed to tell us a story about a regression he had done for a man who had had severe neck problems. It was revealed that he had broken his neck from falling off a horse in a past life, at the same age that the neck pain had started in this life. Toby was proud to say that in as little as a week, the pain in the man's neck had dwindled away to nothing. He was fine and happy, as of now.

"What are you going to do next?" Yasu asked. He had taken an extreme interest in hypnotism, and it was worrying me in a number of degrees.

"I got a call from someone who thinks he was George Washington in his past life – so I'm going to check that out because, hey, that would be completely awesome." He folded his arms. "And then I'm going home, before I'm late for – whatever day it happens to be – dinner."

"Good luck with that," Yasu said, saluting. Toby patted him on the back.

Yes, long lost brother from another life…

Toby waved as he walked away, smiling that easy smile. "Good luck," he called over his shoulder.

Yeah, because for some reason, I think we were going to need it.

…

Pulling into the driveway of the Deons' house, we were again drowned by that sweet allure of fake tranquility.

But this time, we were on guard.

"It's as simple as this," Naru said, as everyone got out of the cars. We didn't unpack computers or sound devices; they weren't going to be needed this time. "I'm going to put Mai under the trance, and we will merely have to stand around and guard her as she consults the spirit. I don't know what the spirit will do when Mai is talking to her, but if she is unheeding, she'll most likely freak out by trying to damage us with the house."

Monk put his sunglasses on his head, pulling his bangs back from his face with them. "And… if she doesn't listen to Mai?"

Naru gave him a nasty look. "That'll be her only chance. If she doesn't comply, we'll have to get a lot rougher."

Wow, Naru, you make me feel like the world is resting on my shoulders, and you don't even say it directly.

Walking in, I noticed that all the windows were broken. They had probably been shattered in anger, after she hadn't been able to get to either Toshi-san or Eikou-san. Toshi-san was staying close to Monk, trying to put on a brave face, but I was close enough to tell she was shaking.

Naru chose the living room, and Monk, Yasu, and Lin started moving chairs and pushing couches aside.

"There used to be a coffee table in here…" Toshi-san said off-handedly.

"Would that happen to be this pile of ash?" Monk asked.

"Yes, that was probably it…"

"Lin, are you going to make a circle?" Naru said.

"Taniyama-san, come here." I went to stand where Lin instructed, and then I watched, fascinated, as Lin pulled out a little sliver of chalk and started drawing a circle on the wood floor, a wide distance around me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, despite myself.

"I'm drawing a circle of stones; it accentuates a clear space for magical uses and protection."

"But it's not stones…"

"I'm making do with what I have." Lin actually sounded a little snippy.

Naru stepped into the circle, carrying one of the wooden kitchen chairs with him. He set it down for me. "You're okay with his, right?"

I nodded, since I couldn't trust my voice.

Sitting down in the chair, I was so hyped and nervous, that I was having a hard time believing that I was going to be able to relax.

"Do you want me to do the technique that Gene taught me?" I asked quietly, as he was pulling out a pendulum from his inner jacket pocket.

It was a pretty thing, dark green with dramatic iron wire-wrapping. It hung on a chain; but Naru held it so that it looked like it was just a single chained-style string.

"We're going to do a different technique," he told me.

He was going to put me into a trance with a pendulum? "Isn't that… old-fashioned or something?"

"Gene was sometimes old-fashioned."

"What do you mean?"

"This was his."

"Oh…" I dropped my head and felt myself mellow. I also heard footsteps upstairs. A quick sweep with my eyes told me that everyone was still here – and were hearing the same things. "How is that going to work, don't I have to close my eyes?"

"There are differences between a trance and a meditate-state. A trance is normally induced by something being repeated, until the person reaches a different mental state from the action. A meditation is self-induced, either by sleep or on purpose. You might close your eyes if you're far enough in a trance, or you might not. You won't know either way, if you're in deep enough."

I swallowed hard.

"When you're ready," Naru told me.

He started swinging the pendulum in front of me, and I was kind of tempted to giggle. But that feeling didn't last long.

Sleepiness didn't quite describe it. I felt drugged, and lulling on something close to a dream. Even though the sound wasn't there, a ticking sound started coming along with the pendulum, just like a clock would.

Naru was saying something, his voice calm and addicting. All it did was bring me down (or up?) further.

My body relaxed on my own and, Naru was right, I don't remember if I closed my eyes or not.


	10. In Fearing One

_And feels a thousand deaths, in fearing one_

_- Edward Young_

…

Everything was white.

I was in the middle of nothingness, with a white so pure and crystallized, it was dazzling and brilliant.

It was quiet, but yet I could hear people talking. Little whispers of encouragement and conversations of newfound knowledge and questions. Whatever the voices were, they weren't talking to me. I was overhearing discussions from other people in this realm.

Wait a minute, what realm? I thought I was supposed to be in the house. I was supposed to look for the spirit.

Where was I?

Moving around, I felt panicked even though I was so calm. Is anybody there? I wanted to shout out, but what if no one heard me?

What the hell?

"Mai."

Turning, I saw Gene, wearing white, supposedly to match the room. Well, it worked, besides his black hair, he blended in.

"Gene?" I said. He was certainly the last person I had expected to see. Hold on – did that mean – "Am I dead?"

"Yes," Gene said solemnly. "Naru accidentally killed you."

My knees gave out from underneath me. Now that I was so close to the ground, it actually looked like solidified smoke. I'm glad it proved substantial enough to hold me.

Naru… killed me?

"I'm joking," he said, making me doubt my ears.

"Excuse me?" I said.

He was smiling. "Just a joke. You're not dead. No, you just managed to reach a very alternate state of higher-consciousness. Congratulations." He started clapping.

"I'm not dead?" I said. I had just finished computing that I was dead, to be told that I wasn't.

He laughed, the sound echoing, even though I was pretty sure there were no walls.

"Why am I here?" I asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he said. Kneeling, he grabbed my hands and pulled me up with him. "But I'm pretty sure you know why you're here."

Well, I was actually pretty sure I was dead a minute ago, so I wasn't really sure of anything right now.

Besides, I was distracted by watching him, and feeling his warm hands surrounding mine. I hadn't seen him for so long. It felt like a dream.

It was a dream.

I grasped his hands tighter in mine; savoring any time I had left. "I'm here, because of the spirit."

"Hm-hm." The noise he made sounded funny enough to make me laugh. "The spirit. You won't be able to meet her unless you have knowledge of her. Do you know who she is?"

"No, I don't… well, not anything besides she was a poor little girl from the outskirts of town. And she was used in a black magic ritual… right?"

"Yes… but who is she?"

I was at a lost. I had no idea. How was I supposed to learn? She wouldn't talk to Masako, so I couldn't know any personal information.

When I didn't answer, Gene helped me. "She was born Arabel Mrese, she was age nineteen and lived in a little town, nearly a day's ride from the nearest city. She ran a little shop with her family, and she adored the days her father and brother came home from the city, with flour, sugar and other things that were very scarce in their town, and allowed her to bake. She liked to go and pick flowers in locations that only she knew about, where the best and prettiest flowers grew.

"She had been very recently engaged, and nothing could suppress the joy she felt." Gene lowered his eyes to our entwined hands and ran his thumbs over the back of mine softly. "She had been picking flowers for her wedding bouquet the day that the coven picked her up."

I didn't realize that I had been crying until the tears started making little water marks on my clothes.

I didn't realize that tears would have essence here.

"Would you like to meet her?" he asked.

I nodded, but I was afraid. The spirit was trying to kill Toshi-san in this life, but Toshi-san had done horrible things to her in a past one. Arabel – the spirit – was trying to get even.

Pulling me by my hands, he led me to a stark wooden door. It had a smashed metal handle, and the carvings on the door were jagged and sharp.

The door had certainly _not_ been there earlier.

I wondered if it led to Arabel's Akashic Record room.

We walked up close to it, and Gene waved me to go in front of him. I stretched out my arms and grabbed the deformed handle with both hands. It was cold.

It moved jarringly, and I had to shove the door with my shoulder to get it open. Inside, there was mellow-colored, meadow grass and trees, with subdued sunlight and hundreds of passive daffodils everywhere.

There was a girl standing in the middle of the clearing, all the soot disrupted around the area of her bare feet. She was swaying back and forth, moving her arms, dancing to her own rhythm.

I looked over my shoulder at Gene, and he was still right behind me (yes, I was indeed terrified he was just going to disappear). He gave me an encouraging smile, and then gave me a gentle push inwards.

The girl didn't acknowledge us as we moved closer, both of us leaving behind trails in the soot. Her eyes were closed and she continued to move in her own little circle. She had long, dark-blonde hair and a slim body. She had a thin film of the silt on her face. She was wearing a simple, grey dress which ended around her knees. The material swirled with her movements. She was beautiful.

"Arabel?" I said, softly. I was afraid to disrupt the silence.

I knew why now.

Her energy was so fragile, once you got close to her, even though it was hidden behind such a bold masquerade. It was made of delicate glass, and would shatter with just the wrong wording.

She didn't look at me. She didn't open her eyes.

I looked at Gene, and he just gave me the same look.

Could she not hear me? Or was she ignoring me?

I took a deep, steadying breath. "Arabel?" I said louder. Louder than I ever had in the presence of this spirit.

I felt something ripple, like a sliver running through the glass. Arabel stopped moving, and she opened her bright, dappled blue eyes, looking at me like we were old friends.

"Hi," I said. For lack of better words.

She gave a smile, which seemed careful. "Hello, Mai."

"You know me?"

"We've been well acquainted these last few days."

"Yeah…" I said, staring at her. "Arabel, why are you still doing this?"

A breeze blew and ruffled all the silt, blowing it into my hair and eyes, causing them to water. It also made me feel like sneezing, but I didn't think I really could. I actually didn't really feel the urge to breathe, either.

She touched a hand to her breast. "I don't know."

I hadn't really expected that. I had thought she would say 'for revenge' or 'because it's to help me move on' or something like that.

"Are you here to get revenge?" I asked, trying to clarify just in case her head was foggy.

"No," she said.

"Then… I don't understand why you're doing this. You hurt Eikou-san – badly – you've threatened us, you want Toshi-san dead."

She lowered her eyes. "The revenge on her is just a way to pass the time."

Her revenge was a _pastime_? "The time? To move on? We want to help you move on."

"But… but I don't want to move on."

"Why not?" Didn't she just practically say she wanted to? "You'd be happier there, instead of trying to kill someone who is innocent in this lifetime. I know she hurt you, and I'm sorry that she did, but the Toshi-san that killed you then is not the same Toshi-san now."

It felt really weird saying that.

"I know," she said softly. "She killed me… but I followed her. It's my fault, and that's why I don't want to move on." She clenched her hands together. "Mai, why does life always seem to hurt you, after it had been treating you so well?"

"I – I don't know, it's never really happened to me," I said. Heartaches and horror stories that I went looking for weren't like this. Not at all.

"I'm afraid," she said.

"Why?" Gene whispered into my ear, prompting me. He probably hadn't meant to send chills down my spine.

"Arabel," I said, steeling my confidence. "Why are you so afraid of moving on?"

She looked at me sadly. "I'm not afraid of moving on. I'm not afraid of the Other Side, I have seen its light and it feels warm and welcoming. But I'm terrified of what will come after." She had started crying, the crystalline tears turning grey as they picked up the fine dust from her cheeks. "What if when I come back down, I do it all over again? I don't want to be hurt. Not again…"

I didn't know what to say to her, mostly because I had never truly heard of this stuff before the case had started.

I was so lost, and felt so helpless, that Gene must have felt it.

"Arabel," Gene said, his voice soothing and comforting, as always. "You don't have to do the same type of life again."

It was such severe quiet, like it always is in her presence. The only sound was the sound of her sobbing.

"I don't…?" Arabel said.

"Of course not," he said, "look at what Toshi-san is in this lifetime. She had to grow into it, but you were already happy in your life. Believe it or not, you and Toshi-san have been together in a lot of lifetimes prior, either as friends or enemies. And that was the only way that you two could be together in that lifetime. And, admittedly, it scarred you. But it won't happen again with Toshi-san. In fact, I think that you two would make excellent friends in this lifetime. You remember you always loved to bake, right?"

She was quiet, as if she had to remember, and then she smiled. "Yes."

"Well, she is a caterer."

"Yes," she said. "She's being something that I had always wanted to be…"

"You can still learn."

"I can?"

"Of course."

She was chewing on her lip. "How?"

Unless I was mistaken, I had just heard the chirp of a bird.

"Arabel," Gene said, a bit more subdued than earlier. "Things that happen, people we meet, events that occur are things that you might have decided on even before the lifetime began. There are sometimes things you can't stop." He smiled at her, "But you can always learn from them, and grow, and you don't have to learn the same lesson next time."

"But how do I stop the repeat?"

"You already have." His blue eyes twinkled. "You've learned that it's something you don't want to create again, that you like having a simple life and don't need drama of your death to make you feel like you're worth something."

Her eyes had gotten wide. "Do I view death that way?"

"You've done it many lifetimes, always horrific. You don't need to do it again."

I felt the sun get warm and the dust shifted away, falling off of flowers and leaves. The grey mist over everything lifted, and the trees and grass turned bright green. I heard birds, and other things – the wind, the swaying trees, the shuffling flowers.

The silence was broken.

She laughed. Her dress was white, now. "I think I can try again," she said, her whole aura beaming and bright.

"Have a safe journey," Gene said, waving.

I waved to her, too. "Bye, Arabel."

She skipped through the grass (no dust stirred) and disappeared among the trees.

Gene was leaning on my back, his arms resting on my shoulders. "Good job, Mai."

"But, I didn't do anything." Wasn't _that_ the truth. Gene was the one that made her see the light.

He was a medium even in spirit form.

"Yes," he said, "but her door only opened to you."

We were quiet as we enjoyed the scenery and the warm breeze. I remembered that it was cold down on Earth right now. That was going to be a shock.

"Gene," I said, "why haven't you moved on?"

"I'm waiting."

"For what?"

"The right moment." He breathed in the scent of my hair. He grabbed my hand and turned me around. Lifting my fingers up to his lips, he kissed my hand. "You need to go back."

I felt the tears start sliding down my cheeks. "But I don't want to."

"You still have a lot to live for, Mai," he said, "Don't waste it waiting for me."

I nodded.

He kissed my forehead. "Tell my brother I said hello."

"He'll call you an idiot."

"It's normal."

I felt everything shifting, falling back into a different time. The last glimpse of Gene I had was his smiling face.


	11. Our Minds Be So

_All things are ready, if our minds be so_

_– William Shakespeare_

…

"…Mai…?"

"…Mai."

"_Mai!_"

My eyes opened, to see nearly everyone leaning over me. "What?" I said.

Hm, the most stupid thing I probably could have said right about then.

Naru sighed. "I have a feeling you talked to her."

I sat up slowly – wait, why was I on the floor? I must have fallen out of my chair at some point. That probably explained why my side hurt. I still felt like I was underneath the dregs of the trance. Leaves had blown in through the open windows, and my chair was knocked over. "Did she do something?"

"Just some offhand spirits that had suddenly gotten kind of powerful," Monk said. I noticed that he had a cut on his cheek, which Ayako was trying to clean out.

"Did you find her?" Toshi-san asked, "What room was she in? Did she move on?"

"She wasn't in the house," I said, kind of stumped. "She wasn't even here – she was in her Akashic Record room."

"What?" Naru said.

"You went _where_?" Monk said.

Masako added, "How did you do that?"

"Gene…" I said so softly, that I think Naru was the only one that heard me.

"Idiot," he said just as quietly.

I was tempted to laugh, but I was too tired to do so.

"Naru, how come she wasn't here?" I asked. "How come she was causing such havoc, even if she wasn't truly on this plane?"

"There are some things in the paranormal world that is hard to figure out. I'm sure her power was influential enough that she was able to do something, even if it was mostly from her will."

That was kind of Naru's way of saying 'I don't know' without really admitting it.

I noticed something else about the house.

It felt…normal.

I smiled. I hoped Arabel found peace in her next life.

And with that, the Deons, were now free.

…

Even though the Deons' and most of the SPR members (excluding, of course, a certain two) had planned a dinner date in future months, it never happened. We both got on with our lives, us with more cases, and them by probably restoring their house.

I'm glad that they were okay. John brought back stories of things watching through the window, with squinty eyes and malicious grins. John said that he hadn't slept the whole time he was there.

Eikou-san had been released not too long after; Toshi-san had told me in a random phone call, and his scarring was actually not too bad. As shocking as it was to the doctors.

I couldn't help smiling and thinking of Gene – I had a feeling that there were spirit doctors that had to do with that.

And, of course, John and I wrote a letter to Toby (he was writing the letter, translating my words to English), so that he would know the outcome. When I asked, I think John was relieved that he hadn't had to be there for the regression.

In the biggest news, Monk took me and Masako out to help him look through rings at a jewelry store. He wanted to know our opinions on what ring we thought Ayako would like best. At our open giggles, his exact words were, 'it's not an engagement ring.'

Yeah, right, Monk, keep fooling yourself.

At my own pace, I told Naru about the full extent of my trance-induced dream. I think he was surprised that I had even decided to tell him. He listened quietly, and then said, "So you really didn't do anything."

Hmmm.

He gave me a hint of a smile. "Good job, though."

"Thanks," I said, then took my leave.

Sigh.

_You still have a lot to live for; don't waste it waiting for me._

I wonder if he wasn't necessarily talking about Naru.

…

The last thing I got from Toshi-san and Eikou-san was a short letter and a picture. The letter said that they had finally, fully moved back into their house. And that she had had a baby.

The picture showed the three of them, in front of the renovated house. Toshi-san looked restored back to health. Eikou-san's scarring was hardly visibly – and he was _smiling_.

Toshi-san held a baby girl in her arms, and she stared intently into the camera.

Even though the eyes were brown, from the Japanese bloodlines, there was no mistaking the beautiful, mottled quality of a certain past life woman's eyes.

...

* * *

…

~fin~

…

* * *

...

Hey, everybody, thank you so much for reading my story… (Man, writing notes for me is harder than writing the actual story!)

So, let me try again- Thank you to everybody who read 'The Afterlife Effect'. All your reviews were lovely and so thoughtful. I enjoyed every remark and curious inquisition about how you thought the story was going.

I'm glad you guys enjoyed it and followed it to the end. :-) Thanks so much for reading!

-Coriana


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